Inserting the Galaxy Note 5’s S Pen backwards can permanently damage the device

One of the features Samsung highlighted when it unveiled the Galaxy Note 5 was the device’s new S Pen slot design. The Note 5 features a spring-loaded mechanism to eject the Pen, which also is flush into the body at all time. This evening, however, several Galaxy Note 5 users started noticing a major flaw with the new slot design. If you accidentally insert the S Pen backwards into the slot, your Note 5 can be permanently damaged.

When inserting the S Pen into the Note 5, the pointy, skinny end goes first, but if you accidentally insert the wider end in first, the Pen will get jammed in the device. With enough force, you can remove the Pen from the device, but because of the spring mechanism, it’s a lot harder than you would think. The biggest issue, however, is that after you get the Pen removed, the device’s detection feature stops working.

When working correctly, the S Pen detection feature will launch a note taking app when the pen is removed while the display is powered off. When powered on, the detection feature automatically launches the S Pen menu when the Pen is removed. After inserting the Pen in backwards, however, these detection features no longer work. Our own Dom Esposito fell victim to this flaw and was not able to get his S-Pen detection features working again.

While the obvious solution to this problem is to not insert the Pen backwards, it’s a common mistake that will likely plague a decent amount of Galaxy Note 5 users. The biggest problem is that the Pen goes in backwards with zero added force, meaning that it’s incredibly easy to mindlessly put it in the wrong way.

While it remains to be seen how big of an issue this will become, Samsung will likely have to address it.