Galaxy Note 5 design flaw: A backwards S-Pen can permanently damage the device

Samsung's new auto-ejecting S-Pen slot design doesn't seem to be that robust.

by Ron Amadeo 

Here's the Galaxy Note 5 with the S-Pen out.

1. 
   Here's the Galaxy Note 5 with the S-Pen out.
2. 
   The S-Pen sits flush with the bottom of the device, a new design choice from Samsung.
3. 
   Normally, you put the pen in like this.
4. 
   Slide the pen in like this though, and it will get jammed. Removing it can break some S-Pen functionality.

The Galaxy Note 5 has a novel new S-Pen slot design. The Pen inserts flush into the body, and a spring-loaded mechanism ejects it. As Android Police discovered (and we just had to try, too), the new design isn't that robust—gently inserting the S-Pen backwards into the slot can irreparably damage the Note 5.

The right way to dock the S-Pen into the device is to slide the pointy end in first, but if you slide the blunt end in first, the S-Pen will get jammed in the device. The spring mechanism that holds the pen in will clamp down on the wrong end of the S-Pen and won't let go. It is possible to wiggle the pen free from the spring's hold, but when we tried it, the S-Pen detection features stopped working.
Normally on the Note 5, removing the S-Pen when the screen is off will launch a quick note taking app, and removing it when the screen is on will launch the radial S-Pen menu. After putting the S-Pen in backwards and wiggling it out, all of these features stopped working.

We were able to put our S-Pen in backwards again, which made the features work (with the S-Pen jammed into the slot). Eventually we were also able to remove the S-Pen in a state where the features worked again. However, Android Police reports that their S-Pen detection never worked again, even when they tried the reinsertion trick. Apparently once the retention mechanism clamps down on the wrong end of the S-Pen, removing it can permanently break the S-Pen functionality.

"Pen detection on our review unit is completely broken," Android Police writes. "During the making of this video in an attempt to show how easy it is to insert the stylus the wrong way, the S-Pen became hopelessly jammed in the slot, and I am now totally unable to remove it without the assistance of tools I'd rather not try, in the interest of avoiding further damage to the device."
It's important to note that the S-Pen can go in backwards with zero force. The pen is the same shape for its entire length, making backward insertion just as easy as forward insertion. It's something that a person could conceivably do if they weren't paying attention, and it's definitely something a small child would do.

If the potential for S-Pen damage is widespread, we don't see any way Samsung can sell the Galaxy Note 5 like this. The company may need to either recall the Note 5 or issue a redesigned S-Pen. We've asked Samsung for its take on the issue and will update this post if we hear back.