The S Pen, a stylus accessory made famous by Samsung’s Galaxy Note lineup, saw some big improvements last year thanks to Bluetooth and the Galaxy Note 9. But the company might not be done.

Samsung filed a patent back in February 2017 that details building a camera right into the S Pen stylus. The patent was officially granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this week. The patent details how the S Pen would be able to wirelessly send any image it captures back to a phone or tablet it is connected to. Interestingly, the patent also details the fact the stylus would feature an “optical zooming function”.

Adding a camera into the stylus is an interesting decision. It would, first and foremost, allow Samsung to save some space in the phone itself. But of course, it also means that users can have a few more options for actually snapping a photo. The phone, or tablet, could be used as a viewfinder to see what you’re snapping.

There is no telling if this is something Samsung is actually considering for a future version of the S Pen, or if it’s just a pipe dream the company is patenting “just in case”. It would certainly make the S Pen stand out, and be yet another bullet point on the list of features for a future device, though.

What do you think of the idea?