The Samsung Galaxy Note 20, like the rest of the Note series, will feature the latest version of the company's amazing S Pen. This Bluetooth stylus will help you take notes and convert your handwriting into perfectly legible text. It also acts as a remote control for your phone, helping you take pictures and scroll through presentation slides without a timer.

The second-generation Apple Pencil, on the other hand, isn't quite as clever so far. It can change tools with a double tap and pair wirelessly with the iPad Pro, but it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Samsung's Galaxy Note 20. One may be paired with a tablet and the other with a smartphone, but Apple definitely sees the S Pen as a true competitor to the Pencil.

However, Apple appears to be taking steps to completely conquer the S Pen: a patent granted to Apple by the USPTO for a "touch-based input device with tactile feedback" indicates that Apple is trying to incorporate more advanced technology into the stylus. The patent includes a "piezoelectric element" and a flexible casing that promises to detect user input, generate vibrations, and even push the S Pen housing out to provide information to the user.

For example, if a user is using the Apple Pencil for a graphic design project and receives an email notification, the notification can go straight to the Apple Pencil and push the housing out like a button to quietly alert the user. It can also be used to detect how tightly the user is holding the stylus and where the finger is positioned

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This means that the device can effectively learn how you draw and adapt the iPad Pro's creative software to better fit your style.

Newsoutlet AppleInsider reports that the company is filing patents almost weekly. That also means that not all of these ideas will work or be included in the final product, but it is a good indicator of Apple's current process and which path the company intends to take next.

If Apple is aiming to redesign its stylus to compete with Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 and its upcoming S Pen, it is easy to see why. Thus, the Note 20 series is competing with both the iPhone and the iPad at the same time, and a superior stylus could give it a head-to-head advantage.

If Apple upgrades its own Apple Pencil, will the Note 20 feature an even more refined version of its top-quality S Pen? We will know more for sure as more leaked information becomes available leading up to launch.

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