The sad, short, sorry saga of the Galaxy Note 5 S Pen

I don't understand why this is an issue. I had a Note 3 and never once did I accidentally put it in backwards or even attempt to. Granted I wouldn't be able to apparently, but still-I just never tried to. The pointy end is way different feeling than the back flat end, so you could even put it in correctly in the pitch dark or blind. To me this just tempts people to see what would happen. Don't touch the stove son. It's hot! *touches stove.. Posted via the GS6 Active. Manly edition.

Just tried this on my Note 3. The blunt end of the S-pen is cleary designed to strongly resist insertion that way. Like you I've NEVER tried this before - and it feels very un-natural to do so.
As for the Note 5: I suppose Samsung could redesign the pen; but there are probably already hunderds of thousands to replace. So a quick software warning update + stickers on the boxes is more likely. Samsung's sealed back also makes it harder to repair. If that hurts them, I'm almost pleased - they SHOULD NOT have done that. Posted via the Android Central App

True. I see stickers and warnings happening and it being fixed on the Note 6. It seems that everyone wants a premium phone with a removable metal backplate that can still get amazing Wi-Fi and data signals. Samsung received gripe about their plastic, and now gripe about their non removable battery on a premium build. I don't think they're in a position to win.... unlessssss they gave a removeable metal back that still allows amazing Wi-Fi and data and an SD card. It's working for HTC and by that I mean it's not. Oh well, I'm probably going to stick with the Active line for a little bit. I didn't know how awesome the Active phone line was until I broke two Android devices within 2 months of each other. I wish it came in a 5.5 or 5.7 though ;-) Posted via GS6 Active - aka GS6 M.E. (Manly Edition)

You could put all the warnings you want, but accidents happen, nobody is perfect. Samsung did it on purpose to make money because they admitted to knowing about that and still launched it. This is an 800 phone, I should be able to put the S-pen either way and not get it stuck!! Posted from my Note 5

Thank you! My sentiments exactly! Posted via the Android Central App

I wish I still have my old PocketPCs, but I'm fairly certain that it was not possible to insert the styluses the wrong way on my 6700, Mogul, or Touch Pro.

You are correct. They were designed similarly to the way the Note 2 stylus was, with a nub on the top of it that allowed your to have a thumb nail grip to remove it from the space. It also prevented it from being put in incorrectly. I don't think it was the intention but it worked out that way just the same. I still have a couple of Dell Axim x51v's and my original Smartphone, the TouchPro2. I actually still play on the Axim from time to time.

That's exactly how Samsung should have done it... Samsung admitted they screwed up! Personally, I feel they did it on purpose because in order to fix, you have to send it to Samsung to fix So they are making more money!! Posted from my Note 5

This is like having a car with seatbelt that doesn't click in right. There should be a free recall. Posted via the Android Central App

No this is like having a car and expecting it to go forward when you put it in reverse... Figure out how to use your phone properly

This Posted via the Android Central App

No, this is like a car without a safeguard against diesel in gasoline tank and gasoline in diesel tank (99% of the cars have it nowadays) - safeguards against mistakes.

That's funny... because you can put gasoline in a diesel tank. I know somebody who did this on a late model truck. The only safeguard is a written warning. It seems that Samsung provided that. Although I like the idea of the message on the phone that you can select to dismiss forever.

@Adrian Sicaru: You need someone to protect you from you? I think that's the bigger issue. Reminds me of a comedian's routine (can't recall the name)..."Well no where on the piano does it say that I shouldn't put my junk then slam the key cover on it..so it's the piano's manufacturers fault!!!" paraphrasing heavily here.

You can't put diesel in a gasoline car because the nozzle won't go in. Funny enough you can put gasoline in a diesel car which causes more damages.

And you can easily put E85 into either and it will cause damage as well. Especially on a turbo or supercharged car. it won't flow enough fuel through the injectors and the tune won't match at all. In both cases it won't be pretty.

No, @cpaight, this is like having a car and expecting it to go forward when you put it in reverse... and when you do put it in reverse, the gearbox breaks instead. Samsung should admit the design flaw, issue a recall, and provide better devices.

No, it's not even a little bit like that Electra. You are describing a car that works the opposite of how it seems to be designed and breaks when you are doing something that should be possible. The Note 5 works perfectly when used the way it's designed, and the way the manual says to use it. The pointy end has always gone in first - it's not like Samsung just switched it up this time. I can agree that it would be preferable if Samsung had made it impossible to put it in the wrong way (or have an even more obvious popup warning, like Phil suggests) but unlike your silly car example the pen is working exactly as advertised, it's just that misuse of the pen can lead to a more serious repercussion than in previous models.

@Electra - No, I think it's more like, you intended to have the car move forward but accidentally put it in reverse and the car did not have safeguards against....against.....hmm....I guess against telling you that you accidentally put it in reverse instead of putting it in drive by, I don't know, reading your mind that you intended to go forward but accidentally put it in reverse? At what point does it become user error? I agree with Phil, I think putting the pen in backwards goes more towards negligence than a reasonable accident.

My analogy, my feelings It's like backing your brand new 2015 Corvette into the garage so that you can drive it straight out the next morning. The next morning, maybe you slept horribly, kids are distracting you, or just because you are human, you get into your "top-of-the-line" car and instinctively, almost put the car in reverse. I say almost, because you quicky realize what you are doing and just barely pull the shifter past neutral, stopping before it actually drops into reverse, nor do you take your foot off the brake. Even though you know you should never put a car in reverse when you plan to drive forward, at least once this is likely to happen at some point on your life. Instead of allowing you to correct your "near error" (fyi...the pen only needs to go backwards partially before it gets lodged) your ultra expensive car's shifter jams where it's at. You contemplate going to your dealership right away (aka...calling store that sold you the phone) but realize you can't get to the dealership because the shifter is stuck. You push the shifte hard, but it won't budge. You have to get this car moving so you try pushing it once more, this time you give it some real elbow grease and it pops into neutral. Geez, your heart is pounding, not because of any life or death situation, but, because you really like your Chevy Corvette. All you have ever driven is Chevy (Not to mention all the 50+inch "Chevys" hanging throughout your house). Your wife and kids drive Chevys. You even, after many passionate attempts, convinced your brother and friends to switch to Chevy; even though they thought their over priced Fords ( hehe) were God's gift to man..... (besides the point but oh so true...neways...back to the analogy) Your heart is still racing but slowly starts leveling out. You are eager to asses the damage. You start to think, "what did I do to my "baby". You put the car in drive and get an error on your display, "Reverse Engaged, Performance Data Unrecordable". You quickly realize that you've like damaged your cars highly touted Performance Data Recording Capabilities. Even though you had not planned on using it that much when you bought the car, it was nice to have, and you could see yourself using it more and more, not to mention it is pretty cool and something that your buddies with the 2014 Vette don't have. You disable the mechanism that detected your shifter position when it's in the Reverse position and, just like that, you now have most of the Performance Data Recording ability back. Now, instead of it always being engaged you have to manually turn it on. Besides that it no longer records data when the car is under 1000 RPM. (Jamming the S Pen lost me the ability to pull out the pen and take quick notes and the ability of the phone to notify me that I may have forgotten to insert the pen; both of which have resulted in myour using the S Pen significantly less.) Aside from that, your car is like new. Imagine your disbelief when you find out that this not only could, but would, happen to anyone who did this in a 2015 Vette. The 2014 and earlier year model owners could do it, and even actually fully drop the car into gear; so long as they don't release the brake and press the gas, they likely won'the have any problems. To that same disbelief, you get online and read people discussing that Chevy included some "Warning" not to attempt, negligently, or mistakenly almost put the car in reverse if you mean to go forward; shifter may become jammed and blah blah blah. The car company, in this competitive market of customer loyalty, should not only recall all cars that are in dealerships and fix this issue "overnight". They should produce some better shifters and send theme to all their dealerships. Additionally, as a way of saying sorry, they should also do something "special" for all of their 2015 Vette owners who experienced the problem, no matter the cause. In Vette terms, free synthetic oil changes for a year sounds about right. In terms of this phone, I think it'd be smart to send some gear like the Samsung watch I was playing with while trading my Galaxy for a Note 5. Of course they should not announce the gear give away. Otherwise, they might see a spike in the number of jammed S Pens. Not only would I go on recommending Samsung to my friend family, I have a new noticeable conversation piece who's stories would be "This is How Awesome Samsung Is", "This is True Customer Service", "This is Why I Love Samsung", "This is How You Build Customer Relationships"....You get the point. My S Pen got jammed last week when I realized it was in my pocket, un-inserted in the phone. I felt aroundo in my pocket found the hole in the phone, then only partially inserted the pen backwards. Oooops....accident or negligence? Does it matter? I don't recall sticking it in my pocket detached, nor have I ever intentionally done that. Did it come out on it'so own? Who cares. The problem is it happened too easily. I had not thought about calling to see if I could get a new phone, just because I hate transferring data and configurations. After sitting and thinking about it (and typing all of this on my phone) I have decided that I'll call tomorrow to see if I can get a new phone. Stay tuned for results ; ) Richard Thomas
Sent From My Wonderful, Now Semi-Functional, Samsung Note 5

Using the analogy of a car and going forward or reverse....... I'm not certain people are getting this or have an understanding of how a vehicle works. I think a correct analogy that's car related in reference to this Note/Stylus issue would be... Buying a car and using it as intended, BUT, slamming it into reverse while you're driving down the road and breaking something and expecting the manufacturer to recall and fix the problem. People who are doing this, are doing something that the manufacturer never intended to be done. I honestly think that they didn't build in these safeguards to prevent this because they gave credit that people using these phones would be able to operate it with some degree safety. Not everything in this world needs to be built to be used by the lowest possible intelligence quotient.

You are equating a device that is meant to save lives to a phone stylus? Yeah good comparison.

Should there be warnings on rolls of sod that say "green side up?" As diabolical as Samsung may be I don't think its designers deliberately sat at the CAD station and thought "how can I really screw customers by making backwards insertion of the S pen damage the phone?" By this logic inserting a contact lens backward (possible with soft contact lenses although uncomfortable and causes visual distortion) is the manufacturer's fault. How many people insert internally worn personal hygiene devices backwards? True, the devices are generally not damaged as a result but to me it is still more a matter of simply not paying attention or deciding to test the claim - kind of like that thought "what will happen if I drive my car into that phone poll" that many may wonder about few do. Maybe the warning in the interface of the Note 4 was dropped because noone seemed to do it (one of the plethora of mandatory requisite permissions one is forced to grant perhaps monitors how many times someone tries to insert the S pen backwards).

It's not "fact" it's your opinion. If the pen is not designed to be put in backwards, how is that a design flaw? It's careless user error. Not to mention, there is a warning in the manual.

I don't think you understand what a design flaw is... You can break it with a relatively common, easy to make mistake. Yes you're correct that's how it's designed to function. So, that design is flawed... It has a design flaw, which is to say it has a flaw in its design. And that's a fact. EDIT: Yeah, like they expect people to actually read the manual. That's not a warning, it's ass coverage. Wubba lubba dub dub!

So... by that logic, if you put a DVD in the player upside down and damage the player it's the fault of the manufacturer. That's "flawed" logic..

No it isn't. I have never heard of an optical drive getting ruined because the media was put in upside down. If it did, than it is a design flaw not to inhibit the ability to place media into the device in that fashion. Common sense should be used, but a good design will inhibit misuse when possible. That is sound logic.

Exactly, thank you. This is why things like VHS tapes (the fact that VHS isn't in the predictive dictionary makes me feel very old!) Floppy discs and pre C USB ports prevent insertion the wrong way. Wubba lubba dub dub!

Thats like saying you put the batteries in the wrong way which allow you to put them in either way for a remote and expect it to work... Everyone has a brain so use it. If samsung advertised that the s-pen could go in either way then you can put it in either way but they didn't. So now comes the fun part of using your brain. First you look or feel the s-pen which is similar to a normal pen. Which end do you write with? with the eraser or the tip? Now use that information with the s-pen if you feel the tip when you put it in then its wrong and if you feel the flat end its right. Got it?

Rlbrooks covers it pretty well... It's a bad comparison, optical media isn't affected by this, if it were, they would've likely designed it differently. Wubba lubba dub dub!

Putting in a DVD upside down doesn't damage the device. That's the point!

I'll say it this way. If I put the pen in incorrectly I would be calling to check my options, not pointing a finger. The fact that it was in the Manual does mean something. If we choose not to read and act as know it alls (guilty as charged) then we can't blame that on Samsung. I never knew that if you charge your battery too much that you wear it out and had the habit of charging when only down to 80%. Does that mean I can call it a design flaw and does Samsung need to stop the phone from charging if it's not down to 10%? It makes no sense. Posted via the Android Central App

That's not a design flaw, no. That's chemistry. There's very little we can do to change that, it's a design LIMITATION. Also, you're talking about older cells... Current lithium ion cells actually don't like being fully discharged. This stylus could have easily been designed to prevent this, so it's a design FLAW. Yes, people should read the manual but it's well known that they don't. It seems likely to me that Samsung discovered this flaw after the hardware was finalised but before the manual was printed. Telling people you have a bad design is no excuse for having a bad design. Wubba lubba dub dub!

So by your definition, direction tires are a design flaw for most major sport sedans and coupes? I don't think so. READ the directions and KNOW what you're doing before you rotate your tires or insert a pen BACKWARDS! Could it have been designed better, yes. Is it a flaw? NO. I watched a guy just about put washer fluid into my radiator reservoir Dumb Valvoline guy not a design flaw by Audi.

Dude, first off, LOVE that show! "Wubba lubba dub dub" Second, I agree with Phil on this one, putting the pen in the wrong way is more negligence than it is a reasonable accident. That's just my humble opinion.

I fully agree with you! It is a design flaw (and a stupid one at that). So what happens when you let your friend or a child play with the Note 5 and you forget to tell them not to put the stylus in backwards and that's what they do?

You're no longer friends with that idiot, and you either disown the humiliating child or you slap yourself for being dumb enough to not supervise the young child who has your $800 device.

I know on the Tungsten E, the stylus had a nub sticking out of the side of the channel, so it could be removed either way, but if you tried putting it in backwards, it wouldn't go all the way in in the first place.

It is a design flaw. Who says someone else couldn't accidentally do this to your phone, say, your kids, your friends, or you friend's kids?

Am I wrong for telling my brother not to let your child play with the $900 phone? Was I wrong when I couldn't stop laughing after the child dropped it, or how I couldn't stop rolling on the floor when he put the pen in backwards because he was yelling at a 5 year old.? Was I Wrong? Galaxy Note 4 {Sprint 5.1.1}
Galaxy S III {FreedomPop 4.3}
LG G2 {Sprint 4.4.2}

Nope you are not wrong. I know he is your brother, but he got what he deserved!

I have to think that Phil's article is the correct way to look at it. The fault lies in both consumers (for not being smart enough to put the pen in the correct way, which - to me - seems obvious) and the manufacturer (for having this 'physical' flaw and for not having some sort of on-screen tutorial instructing users). Like you say, just have to wait to see what Samsung has to say.

The same tutorials, manuals, stickers maps and arrows that people neglect to look at. There was a podcast that the guy reviewing the note 5 where he said "...and I'm glad we don't have that awful walk through when you first start the device." I'm not usually the one to defend a corporation, and I'm actually still not, but at a certain point we need to do the minimum and if we don't, we have to be held responsible. Posted via the Android Central App

But previous Versions of the Note actually had a little "Lip" so you could not accidentally put it in backwords, think the Note 3. Think it was just a design flaw that no one caught. I use my phones in the dark a lot and could totally see someone doing that accidentally, while being tired before bed.

Which TWIT show was that on?

No worries, I found it. It's in Macbreak Weekly 469 at 49 minutes in.

If you are a person of below average intelligence you probably get a flip phone not a galaxy note 5

It's a design flaw, yes. It's been discovered I'm assuming due to stupidity however. Everything goes point 1st. It's how nature intended it. You drive a car forward, a train, and an plane all point 1st. You write with clicky pens point 1st. When using a fire poker, it's point in! Same goes for making babies! We are biologically designed to do everything point 1st. If you want to stick your sPen in nub before the nib, then you are defying evolution and there is no hope for you. I'm sorry. Posted with the Android Central App on my BlackBerry Q10 via Android runtime...

Wait seriously? It's an 800 phone if you put the pen in the wrong way (which I've never done) that's on you or your kid you let play with that phone Posted via the Android Central App

Do not let your kid play with an $800 phone. --- This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.

An $800 phone, or any phone, should be designed to avoid inadvertent human error resulting in a major malfunction.

What if you drop it in the shitter? Posted via Android Central App

You try not to let your panties trip you as you run for a box of rice. Edit: or pants. Auto correct... Hmmm...
--- This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.

Was funnier without the edit. Posted via the Android Central App

And I'd rather see a pantie trip... Posted via the Android Central App

Jimbo is so right.
I too think that OEMs should design better phones. Starting with the labeling.
"Normies should not buy this Smart Device. You will do dumb things and won't accept responsibility for your stupidity." LG G2, SD 800 powerhouse.
(The Sprint Lover)

I was drinking green tea while reading this. Now my computer desk and monitors are green tea scented. A little warning next time please. >_<

Then you should have a waterproof phone - the Note 5 is not that phone (Thanks, Samsung for yet another feature you omitted).

You should have flushed first. :-) Edit: I can't undo a double post. Sorry. Double flush.

You should have flushed first. :-)

So should electrical sockets. Alternatively, we just be careful. --- This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.

I can't believe Levitron made electrical sockets with such a design flaw where someone can stick a piece of metal in the outlet and get injured, as well as destroy said outlet. What a stupid company for allowing such a design flaw. /Sarcasm

New homes are built with outlets that are pointy metal thing proof because people do dumb things accidentally. I actually have tried to insert my spen incorrectly. When it's in my hand I have a tendency to spin it. Then I try to put it in, can't because of the nub. Do the same thing with pencils, start to write with the erasure. Imagine this another way.
Your phone has a removable battery, sore spot, sorry, it can only go in one way. But say, Samsung made it so it could be inserted upside down. Something we have all tried to do. What would happen if when powered on with the battery inserted incorrectly it shorted out the NFC chip and wireless charging? Neither are important to the functionality of the product, just like the options that are broken when the incorrectly inserted pen is removed are not.
Would we be having this discussion about whos fault it is? No. It is blatantly obvious error that never should have been allowed to leave the factory and a one sentence line in the owners manual cannot cover this flaw. People do need to be careful and pay attention to what they are doing but we have the term "idiot proof" for a reason.

New homes will also allow you to put the wrong wattage bulb in a light fixture too. In fact my neighbor just melted the cover on his garage door opener because he didn't READ the 60w Limit and put a 100w bulb in it. Design flaw? How about the guy who sired his outlet in backwards and got shocked when he went to change the bulb in his table lamp because the polarity was reversed? The wires fit when put on backwards there too.

He sired his outlet? Serves him right.

As much as I would like to agree with you, unfortunately manufacturers cannot foresee everything that everyone could potentially do there for making it impossible to protect their products against any damage caused by doing things you shouldn't be doing in the first place. Posted via my Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Well, reading the article, you can see Samsung did foresee and made it clear in their manual with pictures. Of course the user needs to take some responsibility but you own a phone for a while and will be in situations on the go or can be distracted, it's highly possible someone will not notice and accidentally insert wrong way. instead of making note of it in the manual, they could have designed better and in a way it cant be inserted backwards. Just a little reshaping would have done it. Just in that one aspect I have to say poor design.

But I stuck my phone in my a$$ and now it's stuck and won't work! Why didn't you plan for that? I want something for free!!

They could have designed the stylus so that it couldn't go in the wrong way. Simple engineering and reduces the chance of support calls or pissed off people posting in forums.

Agree. However the people using these devices really do need to pay attention. I have an $1,100 desktop scanner on my desk now and if I send paper through it with the paperclips attached or a staple in there, it's very likely going to scratch the glass and thus damage the unit. Not a design flaw, but rather user error. Ironically my wife fubared up our shredder at home this week by sending paper through with one of those larger butterfly clips that she didn't see. Again, user error.

So if I'm completely drunk and try to jam the micro USB cable in the wrong way and end up damaging the connection so I can no longer use wired charging, Samsung should be liable because I accidentally tried connecting it the wrong way? Having the ability to hurt the device by inserting something incorrectly isn't a design flaw. We could all end up accidentally putting diesel in our non-diesel cars... should the gas station or car manufacturer be liable for any damages caused by our carelessness? There is a big difference between a design flaw and human error. Putting a pen in backwards is considered human error, regardless of what circumstances caused it. Posted via the Android Central App

Except for one major detail. You don't have to "jam" it in at all. It sounds to me that, with eyes looking elsewhere, it feels the same. Posted via the Android Central App

Not the same. The pin will go in the wrong way. The micro usb will not. Posted via the Android Central App

You can put petrol in a diesel. Not the other way round. The nozzle won't fit Posted via the Android Central App

Putting the pen in backwards would definitely be human error. The fact that the error could potentially cost $800 is a design flaw.

The problem is, with the example you listed (putting a microusb in the wrong way) there is a TON of resistance that anyone would quickly figure out it don't go that way. With the Note 5 (from every account I've read) there is absolutely no resistance whatsoever and you don't even realize you're damaging your phone until it's too late.

The Note 3 had a Lip on the S Pen so you can't put it in backwards, so samsung knew about this from before.

Exactly. "Oh my kid put my Note 5 in the toilet. It's Samsung's fault for not water proofing it! I want a refund!" LMAO

Samsung didn't design your toilet, most likely, unless you're in South Korea.. They did design the Note 5. There are several different micro switches they could have used for this. It's the switch that's making the pen get stuck. The Note 4 doesn't have a switch, pretty sure it uses a hall-effect sensor to detect the pen being pulled out.

Spoken like a true Aircraft Mechanic. Lol. Posted via the Android Central App

complete apples to oranges comparison....

What about in 2-3 years when you pass the phone down to your kid? The problem of the stylus getting stuck is still there.

The kid will lose the S pen in days.

I have the Note 4 since launch and I have never put the S Pen in the wrong way.

I have never put mine in backwards on my Note 4 or my two Note tablets, but I tried it after reading the article. The Note 4 does give you a verbal signal that you are putting the pen in backwards.

And the note 5 doesn't so it turns out its a software/design flaw Even though I wouldn't put it in backwards Posted From my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface pro 3

I have to disagree... Samsung made the S5 WATER resistant . However the S6 is NOT water resistant. So is the fact that the S6 is not water resistant a design flaw? No. It means that they took away a feature. That's what happened here. Samsung simply took away a feature that further idiot proofed their device. And I say this as a person who doesn't like the Note 5. Posted via the Android Central App

The note 4 gives a warning if you are putting it in backwards the note 5 doesn't that's a software design flaw Period. Posted From my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface pro 3

I guess you can add that to the list of features the Note 4 has that the Note 5 removed.

Yes you absolutely can so buy one while you can Posted From my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface pro 3

You apparently missed the point. Not including a feature does not equate to a design flaw. Again, the Galaxy S5 was water resistant to protect against accidentally dropping it in water. The Galaxy S6 is not water resistant, and is can be damaged by dropping it in water. That does not mean that the S6 has a design flaw. It means they took away a feature. The same thing applies to this situation. Posted via the Android Central App

The flaw is not with the s pen itself it's just the fact that their needs to be a warning if you are putting it in backwards. Posted From my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface pro 3

Typical first world problem. If anything went wrong, just blamed someone else. Want everything to be perfect, but not being perfect yourself. Blame the software, blame the design team, blame everybody else, but never look at yourself.

Look it's stupid and I wouldn't put it in backwards and it is a 1st world problem but I'm just saying that this is a issue on the note 5 that doesn't exist on the note 4 Posted From my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface pro 3

So is the the fact that the Note 5 has a glass back that will shatter if dropped vs the Note 4 or my old Note 3 that was plastic and is more durable. Not a design flaw.

Not my note 4. It senses the shiny metallic portion of the S Pen and gives an audible tone and vibrates when it detects it. The only difference is that when you insert it backwards, you get the tone sooner, since the metallic portion is going in first. Posted via the Android Central App

Then either it wouldn't perform the same, sitting flush and clicking out, or it would be wasting precious space in the body of the phone Posted via the Android Central App powered by Droid Turbo

I very much view this as a "kinda both" situation... Samsung did a poor job of design here... there's a number of ways they could have tackled this situation and it seems clear they went with form-over-function because they wanted it to sit flush and have the click... both are reasonable design goals, but they don't negate a number of mechanisms that could have stopped this problem from occurring. Maybe if every and their mother wasn't bitching and moaning about "Samsung plastic crap" for so long then they wouldn't have went with this nonsense "premium" vision that is all about form-over-function, but that's a much larger conversation :) But, on the other hand, it to me clearly IS in the realm of user error too... I mean, it's not a ridiculous mistake to make I'll grant you, but it's also a bit silly and requires some carelessness. I'd be worried about my kid doing it by mistake to be sure, but if you hand a kid an $800 phone, well, you takes your chances. As a responsible adult or even an average teen though? You kinda have to be a little dippy to do this. So, I don't know if I'd call it 50/50 or how I'd rank each side's culpability, but the Venn diagram certainly isn't two separate circles, that's for sure IMO.

I believe that Samsung could have easily had the form and function still with only a minor modification. Simply enlarge the metal "hat" on the top of the stylus and mill the opening for the stylus to accommodate this larger "hat." This would still sit flush, you could still pop it out, and would be impossible to insert in reverse. However, because of how simply this could have been fixed, it appears that it was not discovered until it was too late. Samsung was likely too far along in the production process that they would have had to push the launch date and scrap large amounts of phones awaiting the redesign. So the lawyers discussed it and decided that it was better to deal with the backlash from a few people who perform this screw-up than to delay the launch and/or scrap hundreds/thousands/millions of already produced units. And they added the manual page as a little bit of covering their ass, though admittedly, it's a bit weak. It's cheaper to replace a few phones as PR (hopefully they will) than to redesign the whole thing. But they really should have made changes for future production once they discovered it so that only the initial units would be affected.

I can't believe this problem actually exist lol. Pen-Gate Posted via the Android Central App

I was hoping I would be the first to come up with that. oh well :)
PenGate it is !

I've never seen instructions telling people not to shove marbles up their noses, but it does happen (I used to work in a doctor's office). I don't think that constitutes a design flaw of the human body... but rather of an individual's brain...

The whole idea is just plain stupid . First off read the damn manual. I've had every note and have plenty of friends with the note and they've never done this. I'm almost certain that some dumb ass tech journalist who only used to iphone did this and then tried to make a story out of it . Pitting the pen back is not as deliberate as dropping a gun in a holster . It's a two handed slow maneuver that's almost impossible to F up you can't save the world from yourself Posted via the Android Central App

This problem would never occur in Europe.

I see what you did there.. Posted via the Android Central App

+1 Posted via the Android Central App

Best comment yet!

I feel bad that it took me an extra second to get this.... Posted via the Android Central App

So, should there be the same controversy for a person who decided to put in the Micro-USB cable the wrong way and break it the internals? It doesn't seem like an antenna-gate issue, but if anyone uses this to bash Samsung, they need to get a hobby and eat a cookie.

MicroUSB is designed to only fit in the correct way, it won't fit backwards. Just like Samsung should have made the tip of the S-pen slightly larger so it simply wouldn't fit in backwards.

I guess Samsung also should have made it so people can't shove the pen up their rear and puncture their lower intestine.

This was an easily foreseeable problem. This is definitely a design flaw. Posted via the Android Central App

No, just a human one. --- This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.

Exactly. Posted via the Android Central App

If it wasn't a design flaw, then it's reasonable to think prior phones would've had similar issues... but they don't. Prior Note models all accounted for the possibility in various ways. This one doesn't, which either makes it a mistake (ie: a design flaw), or intentional. Posted via the Android Central App

So if i cut a piece of wood with a sharp edge and then place a manuel with it stating that it's a sharp edge and you could cut yourself, is it a design flaw? No. It makes you a dumbass for not reading directions and cutting yourself. Posted via the Android Central App

Also, as I said above, the Galaxy S5 was water resistant. The Galaxy S6 is not, do is susceptible to water damage. Does that mean the S6 has a design flaw? Posted via the Android Central App

It's a design flaw, in the human idiot that did it Check out the new Nexus! https://youtu.be/u3uFOavLo_w, not a Rick roll

A design flaw in the DNA... Posted via the Android Central App

Both. Simply making the top of the S-pen slightly larger than the bottom would prevent it from being inserted upside down.

It would have but the point of this design was to make the spen flush. If it was sticking out then people will complain why wasn't it flush or hidden etc. People will find something always to complain about. One thing Samsung could have done is have put a bit of resistance when putting the pen back. So if someone did for whatever reason put the pen in wrong way 1st they might have enough time to see its wrong way if they can't feel the difference between a tip and a flat end. Posted via the Android Central App

The only design flaw is the idiot that can't figure out the right end of a simple pen please hand that person a dumb flipphone please before he kills himself are somebody Posted via the Android Central App

Nope

It's not Samsung's fault if someone is a knucklehead and puts the pen in the wrong way. I've had the Note 2 & 4 and never accidentally had that happen. This should be a non-issue ... But boy is it getting a lot of play. I feel like this is an overdramatized attempt to create another "bendgate" type uproar.

If Samsung stopped selling to knuckleheads their sales would plummet further.

Hahaha priceless maybe the carrier should be required to do a tutorial on how to insert a pen In a hole Posted via the Android Central App

You do know that on previous notes you couldn't insert the pen improperly. Saying I never did it before means nothing. Mainly because that 1 in 1000 time you tried you couldn't. Posted via the Android Central App

I've owned all the note I have a n4 edge and the new n5 and I just tried to stick it in butt first and there's resistance that means stop what the hell your doing Posted via the Android Central App

There is zero resistance on the Note 5. Watch "All about Google" on TWIT.TV on Wednesday show, and you will see Ron of Arstechnia turn his Note 5 upside down and drop the pen in. Goes in and locks with NO resistance.

If they did, the whole entire time they should speak to the crowd with the face that Nicholas Cage is making in the "You Don't Say" Meme and refer to them multiple time as 'Dumba**es'. "Okay dumba**es, please remove your s pen. CAREFUL NOW! Don't injure yourselves. Okay, not dumba**es, slowly insert the s pen in, NO SLOWLY! Small Tip first! Hey, you dumba** in the back, not in your rectum! I mean't back into the phone!"

It actually is a design fault. Samsung could have easily made the stylus slightly wider at the 'clicker end' to prevent it being inserted the wrong way. Foreseeing problems like this is why designers get paid a fortune. Much as you would like to blame the user the fact is that if something could happen, the probability is it will happen. Posted via the Android Central App

Yep and there's also a possibility that a dummy could get there hands on a smartphone gezz and destroy it . There's a reason flipphone still sell Posted via the Android Central App

Really? How do you know this? Are you a smartphone design specialist who understands the design and functional requirements for this specific phone? Do you know for a fact that this stylus system is exactly like the Note 4? The answer is NO, because you don't know anything. As has previously been stated more than once in this comments section, just because the S5 was water proof doesn't mean the S6 has a design flaw simply because it isn't water proof. Same goes for the Note 5's stylus. Samsung designed the Note 4 to let you know you've inserted the stylus backwards AND it didn't get stuck or cause a malfunction. Obviously the Note 5's stylus system is different because it does get stuck and will cause a software malfunction. This is not a design flaw! It's no different than your phone malfunctioning because you foolishly dropped it into the pool!

I owned both n4 edge and n5 and I just tried to purposely stick the pin in the wrong way and there is resistance that means stop don't push it in any farther . You obviously never owned a note most people when they take the pen out they never put it down it stays in your hand then you insert it right back in the same way it came out. Ok own a note first before you speak Posted via the Android Central App

There is zero resistance on the Note 5. Watch "All about Google" on TWIT.TV on Wednesday show, and you will see Ron of Arstechnia turn his Note 5 upside down and drop the pen in. Goes in and locks with NO resistance.
Actually check it out before you speak, but I don't believe that you are stupid enough to try it, because if you try it you are going to get stuck.

So who is working on a fix for the stuck stylus. Is a clip or something getting broken by the stylus clicker when it's finally removed? Seems like you may be able to find the right sized straw that could be inserted to help safely remove the stylus without breaking something.

I looked into this when it first started happening. There's just not enough room. Plastic thin enough is too flimsy.

People always find something to complain about. SMFH. Posted via the Android Central App

Almost everything gets stuck going in butt first. That should be in the "Manual of Life" that everyone is given upon birth. --- This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.

Well I don't even like Samsung but I think it is pretty clear in the manual. Bad design? Maybe. Should Samsung take responsibility? No. Should Samsung be nice and do swap? Maybe, but definitely not necessary. Posted via the Android Central App

I guess you don't have young kids Phil. My 5 year old daughter uses my S pen with drawing apps on my Note 3 and I was planning on upgrading to the 5 but this is actually an issue for me. Do I think my 5 year old will never do this? Probably she will...and she is very careful with my electronics. As a mechanical engineer myself, this is definitely a flawed design.

No. It's flawed human perseptance. Posted via the Android Central App

Get a Note 5, but only let her use the Note 3's s-pen.

I've got a 4 years old daughter, she use my note 4 almost everyday she has never put the s pen backwards. I even asked her if she ever done it by mistake and the kicker was in her answer and I'll quote what she said to me " Daddy stop being silly. First you have to aim at that hole you put the pen in and the sharp end always goes first" What bothers me about letting her use the s pen without me around is that sometimes she forget where she left it when she returns my Note 4. I had buy a replacement and then I latter found it on her toy box.
Then my other daughter who's 1yr 8 months can't even manage to pull out the pen by herself. Don't get me started when it comes to actually put the pen back on the phone, her hand and eye coordination ain't good enough to actually aim an s pen inside the hole.
One thing which made me realise that letting my youngest daughter use s pen was a bad idea, was that most of the time she used the pen it always ended in her mouth than actually using it on the phone. Then one day when I took the pen out of her mouth the tip has already come out of the pen. Then I wasn't worried about my s pen being soaked in saliva, I was more worried about my little girl choking from that s pen tip. Posted via the Android Central App

Still baffled at people that let their kids use their phone. You have a $800-1000 phone, but you can't afford a throwaway tablet for the kids? And yes, I have grandchildren that would LOVE to use my phone, but don't get to, as they get the tablet, and are told the phone is something they can use when they're grown.

If your 5 year old drops your phone in the toilet and the phone gets water damage, is that a design flaw?

Two months ago my 3 year old put my iPod Classic in the toilet. Go*da** Apple and their design flaws.

Really here's a thought why would you give a child a $700 phone to play with in the beginning. I purchased a tab 7 just for my grandkids for this very reason even the pen in my n4 could be a danger to a 5 year old. Stop making excuses for dumb act . Posted via the Android Central App

Why would Samesung advertise the "kid's mode", and show children playing with the s-pens if it was dumb?

Please see the numerous analogies regarding the design of the S5 waterproofing vs. the S6 not being waterproofed. Design flaw of the S6? I think a mechanical engineer can figure that out.

So let me get this straight... Samsung Markets their phones with a kids mode and now people are stupid for handing their phones to their kids and it been marketed that you can do so safely? I saw several videos on it and it is a flaw and arguing that someone who may not being paying 100% attention, you know a real person with real things going on may accidentally put the pen in the wrong way is moron. .....man you guys here.

+1 Posted via the Android Central App

Good point. Posted via the Android Central App

Good point. I bet the phone even has a kids mode. Posted via the Android Central App

Hey your kid might also be big enough to reach the paddles in your car put do you let them drive . Get your kid a $200 tablet not $700 phone Posted via the Android Central App

Hey your kid might also be big enough to reach the paddles in your car put do you let them drive . Get your kid a $200 tablet not $700 phone to mess up Posted via the Android Central App

They don't market cars with a kid mode. "a fanboy, DAT that sh...I don't like"

And if they did, people would be stupid enough to let their kids play with their car and then blame the manufacturer for the accident. Even if Dodge told me that my truck had a kid mode, I wouldn't be dumb enough to let my kids drive.

Like a moron who sues Samsung for dropping their non water proof phone into the tub even though the manual clearly states to keep your phone away from water to avoid possible malfunction. You're really brilliant. I saw several videos of the phones being drop tested and water tested. A real person just might do these things accidentally with their phones. but they would be responsible for the damage because phones malfunction when you treat them in a manner inconsistent with how it was designed. The manual clearly states DO NOT PUT THE PEN IN BACKWARDS, DO NOT DROP YOUR PHONE, DO NOT PLACE YOUR PHONE IN OR NEAR WATER. Breaking your phone like this IS NOT moronic. Breaking your phone like this and then blaming it on a design flaw IS MORONIC!

Too bad the kid is probably smart enough to not do that. Posted via the Android Central App

Stop the world, I want to get off. Posted via the Android Central App

I got my S-pen stuck in the headphone jack!! Oh noeeeeeeeeeeeees!! lol

In-struc-tion manual? What's that? :P Seems like common sense to me to put the pointy end in first.

Rule #1, stick the note with the pointy end Posted via the Android Central App

Right, Phones come with manuals? I wondered what that pad of paper was. I thought it was just a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo they have to include but don't expect anyone to read.

It doesn't matter if you're expected to read it or not. The information is there. YOU refuse to read it. That means it's your problem if you screw your phone up.

It going to be tempting not putting the pen in the right way now

Many have thinking this was not true and are now stuck with a pen in the wrong way Posted via the Android Central App

This is a design flaw, because it has been stated that it is unusually easy to absent-mindedly insert this the wrong way, without much friction until it is too late. Usually these type of items don't allow for so easily making this sort of mistake. Wonder if it happens to those commenting here calling it user error, if they'll admit if they mess up insertion...

Look, I'm just impressed you got the words ass, butt and tip all into a legitimate article about a phone. All in the same paragraph mind you.

Lol Posted via the Android Central App

It's going to be more than a few S Pens that get damaged. It's going to be thousands and thousands. The S Pen is so svelte its easy to mix up the top from the bottom. The pointy end looks a bit like the butt of your standard run of the mill retractable ballpoint pen.

Yes because we all pull out our pens and write with the clicker. .... Posted via the Android Central App

"The Note 4 had a little warning if you tried to put its pen in backward. Is it possible to get that back?" My note 4 has never had this o_O

No, because they use different mechanisms to tell the phone the pen is being inserted.

And if you happen to have Knox tripped by rooting it and send it in to Samsung for repair they will refuse because it's been rooted...lol Posted via the Android Central App

What should Samsung do? How about require an IQ test for buyers?

That was funny! Posted via the Android Central App

They can't. They wouldn't sell a single another phone.

Ironic. Considering the poorly constructed sentence you posted.

How did this even become a thing? Just put the dam pen in the right way Posted via the Android Central App

Thank God! At last, something to redirect the tedious discussion of SD cards, removable batteries, and freaking IR blasters. Posted via the Android Central App

Ok im not in the habit of defending ANY major corporations, but this is ridiculous. Design flaw my ass! Its in the manual people! You dont want to read the manual then tough shit for you. People aren't not smart enough or dont pay attention enough to know what they are doing,again,tough shit. Is it a design flaw when some moron thinks cruise control means the car dirves itself? Two simple words: pay attention!

Amen Posted via the Android Central App

Ok, so my Pearl White 64 Ram Note 5 is on backorder even though I ordered it in store at t-mobile on opening day...but I digress... so now all I want to do is unbox it and see how far I can stick the s pen in backwards without it getting stuck. Posted via the Android Central App

You should be fine upto halfway Posted via the Android Central App

It's OK as long as it is only the tip... Posted via the Android Central App

Just the tip.

its kind of dumb they didnt design the edge of the pen that comes out of the phone to be larger than the hole at the cap, thereby keeping anyone from inserting it backwards. It doesnt even need to be more than a few millimeters wider around it with a small increase in the recessed area size.

Human design flaw meaning peoples brains aren't properly calibrated.

All this talk about this is so dumb. If you stick it in backwards you're an idiot. Period. Posted via the Android Central App on a Note 5

I'm not sure I I feel about people that have to be told not to do this.....

Easy fix. Make the tail end a bit larger so you can't physically insert it in the wrong way. (That's what she said naturally.) This seems like a rather odd oversight.

Please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT CALL THIS "PEN-GATE." Watergate is a hotel in Washington. "-gate" does not mean "scandal relating to." It makes no sense whatsoever to call this Pengate. And Bendgate and Antennagate and all the other gates are equally nonsensical (except, of course, WATERGATE). And while we're at it, saying you're a chocoholic is to say you are addicted to a substance called chocohol. <deep breath> I think I need a vacation.

And a few other things we won't mention. Posted via the Android Central App

How about an uber pen-nado of Samtastic proportions?

I am intrigued by this thing called chocohol and would like to here more.... Posted via the Android Central App

I can't insert the stylus of my Nintendo DS backwards. It's a design flaw.

No. That's just the design of the DS. Period. Posted via the Android Central App

The Samsung Pen should not be able to be inserted the wrong way.

Neither should my finger. Posted via the Android Central App

If your finger can fit in the S-pen slot, something is wrong with you

He never mentioned the s-pen slot... Posted via the Android Central App

And now I've come to realize the people who care about this issue the most are typically people who happen to have an iDevice.

Bass-ackwards! Posted via the Android Central App

Oops, put it in the wrong way! That's what he said Posted via Android Central App

I was pretty set on getting a Note 5, but now I'm pretty sure I won't because the temptation to put the S-Pen in the wrong way just because I can would just be way too high. Does that make me an idiot? Almost certainly, but that's how my trollin' brain likes to f**k with me.

Awesome Posted via the Android Central App

You pressed the red button too huhh... Posted via the Android Central App

I'm sure the nuclear missile launch buttons have
clear plastic covers to prevent human error. Why bother? I'm sure those soldiers manning
the launch control are well-trained and should
NEVER launch a missile by accident.... so why
bother with a plastic cover over the launch
button? :)

The next big "whoops" is here" ................

Don't tell Apple marketing people...

The Solution is dead simple. All Samsung needs to do is send everyone that bought a Note 5 a redesigned Stylus. One with a slightly larger flared end. Thats it. Nothing else needs to be done. Enlarge the back end of the Stylus and all problems are 100% solved.

I like Darwin's solution better.

Good Gawd. Stupid simple minded people need to take responsibility for their stupid mistakes. I wasn't thinking and let my child play with matches, razor blades, guns, gas appliances, the keys to my car, or my $$$$ shiny new cellphone... and then try to fault the manufacturer for it's design because I was stupid for doing this in the first place... L Posted from my Galaxy Note 5

+10000000 Posted via the Android Central App

Hahaha to funny but true . I mean really at WHAT point do you not fill the point jabbing your finger while your putting it in the wrong way. I have the n5 and I tried it theres resistance so that should tell you hey this ate right let my dumb ass turn the pen around its just that damn simple Posted via the Android Central App

For the last time, there is no resistance. Plus, if you had actually tried pushing it in far enough to feel any resistance, then you would be crying "my pen is stuck". So please stop with the "I tried it and it is BS" BS.

The outcome of letting children play with some of the things you mention is intuitively obvious, which is why we don't let our children play with such things. But consider Samsung build quality - phones in recent past have been made to be dust resistant, water resistant (and in some cases waterproof), and made to withstand drops, heat, cold and the weight of one's backside when placed in a back pocket. Durability has been at the core of their hardware design for a while now. Now I would tend to agree that it would be rare for people to insert the stylus in backwards by accident, but what about curiosity - tinkering tinkering with a phone during a long meeting or waiting for friends? Looking at the stylus and the hole in the phone the question of "what if..." crosses the mind.
How are people supposed to know this is a stupid mistake? There's nothing in the design language of the phone that implies that doing so is stupid, and as stated Sammy's past devotion to durability would seem to provide some assurance that it would be harmless. Yeah, there's the manual, but cases where you have to fall back on written documentation in the absence of design that makes harmful behavior unlikely or intuitively undesirable, it's nothing more than CYA for sloppy design.

I still think this is mainly user error, but is also a lesson for Samsung that they should've left the design alone (there was NOTHING wrong with the design of the S-Pen on the Note 4). Instead they get cutesy with it adding a push pen design which just added unneeded complexity. This is a consequence of focusing your design around form over function!

Jam it in ass backwards and enjoy. Warning people against stupidity is pointless. IT IS NOT SAMMY'S FAULT THAT PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS. Posted via Nexus 6

Galaxy Note 5, NOT FOR MORONS.

I can understand some peoples problem with the fact that they ruined their brand new phone but, at what point does personal responsibility come into play here? Yes, it is a bad thing that has happened. Could or should the pen be designed in a manner, as have many of the previous Note pens so that it is nearly impossible or at least required a VERY DELIBERATE effort to put in the wrong way? Maybe. There are many things in this world that built and used on a daily basis that, if used and operated improperly, will be damaged and or cause harm. For the first few incidents, give the benefit of the doubt. After a few weeks or months, maybe. After that time, buyer beware.

April 1st already?? Posted via the Android Central App

Plenty of ignoring the obvious here. Good design should be forgiving of user stupidity. The issue here isn't so much that people do dumb things. They do. It's really why should putting the pen in backwards cause the feature to fail in the first case. That's really the issue. You always try to make a design idoit proof, that's what Poka Yoke is all about. You'd think that an Asian Mfg company would be aware of that. Maybe they did try to make it idiot proof and the issue is that we keep making better idiots.

The fact that this is even the topic of a post is sad commentary on the stupidity of humanity. It is no more Samsung's fault that some idiot puts their S Pen in backwards than it's the fault of Ford if you put diesel in your gasoline engine! But hey, this is the Internet where mountains have to be made of mole hills.

Hey Phil, when can we expect your GN5 full review? Posted from the last of a dying breed...Galaxy Note 4

Hey Phil, when can we expect your full GN5 review? Posted from the last of a dying breed...Galaxy Note 4

Not paying attention is not a design flaw. People likes to blame others for their stupidity. Posted via the Android Central App

How stupid can you be to do this really? It's almost like iphone user stupid! Posted via the Android Central App

Stylusgate 2015? You know if Apple had the same thing happen Shamesung would have thrown out some derogatory tweets and probably made a YouTube video showing how they have a superior design and how their stylus doesn't get stuck no matter how you put it in. But when it happens to Samsung there's nary a peep or uproar. Clearly it's user error and a design flaw let's say 70/30. But Samsung clearly should have done some more QA before releasing. 

And they say that Apple is overrated. Pfft. Sent from my Moto G

Right?! The only Samsung phone I owned during my time on Android was the Galaxy Nexus and that thing was a POS. 

That POS was designed with Google and built by samsung. Why was the S2/S3 not a POS at the time? Because Samsung only. Same as the LG nexus is not like a G2/G3.

Personally I think this is much ado about nothing. If YOU want to give YOUR lil Johnny or Becky YOUR $800 phone to play with, it's up to YOU to watch them..... NOT Samsung!

Probably someone with a bent iPhone was the first to ram the pen in backwards Posted via the Android Central App

The tag on my shirt says, "Don't wash in hot water or it will shrink". I washed it in hot water and it shrunk. Whose fault is that? The manual says, "Don't put in backwards or it will get stuck". I put it in backwards and it got stuck. Whose fault is that? Accidents happen, you say. If I drop the phone in my toilet by accident and it gets ruined, is that a design flaw? Or should Samsung be held responsible because the manual doesn't warn me not to drop the phone in the toilet?

I think there'll be a sticker on the back of the Note 5 that says "Insert the S Pen into the slot with the pointy end facing the slot" Posted from the LG G4 "Spigen + Anime" Edition. It says "Pointy end of the S Pen goes into the slot first. NOT the other way around".

Obviously you, as well as practically everyone else, didn't read the manual. There are warnings in the manual about careless water damage. Seriously, practically all people don't read smartphone manuals, many of which are only provided online.

True, but I don't need to read the manual to know not to drop my phone in the toilet. And I don't need the manual to know that the pointy end goes in first.

First... I didnt read whole article.. But if people's bitch to Samsung because they are so stupid to put the pen in back wards they should not be allowed to own a phone. Posted via the Android Central App

Don't stick pen in backwards or in your ears eyes nose or sphincter Duh Posted via the Android Central App

Is THAT in the manual? Posted via the Android Central App

If a moment's inattention can break a flagship phone it's a design flaw but I admire those who think it isn't. They must have got this far never ever having missed a junction, stumbled on an uneven walkway, turned on the wrong ring on the cooker, caught anything in a car door or left an umbrella in a cafe. It being mentioned in the manual shows that they noticed it after starting manufacture of the phone but before printing the manual. As someone already said they need to quickly make a new design of pen.

Best comment of the day!

Accidents happen all the time, doesnt make it any less the users fault. Are you saying if I put the spen the wrong way the way it was never intended, I should accept no fault of my own because I couldn't be asked to take the second it takes to put the pen in the right way. If your buying a expensive item whether it's a phone or tv or car, take care of it. Posted via the Android Central App

So if I turn on the wrong ring on the cooker, is that a design flaw with the stove?

Turning on the wrong ring doesn't break the cooker.

How is this really a "thing"? Posted via the Android Central App

Simple answer... Because the Internet! Posted via the Android Central App

REASONS!!!!! Posted via the Android Central App

Samsung screwed up. But people should just pay attention when reinserting the S-Pen. People are so lazy these days. Sent from my Moto G

seriously? is it common sense that the pen should go in tip first? and then they come to websites and complain about "design flaws"! perhaps your brains have a design flaw. Use the damn thing correctly!

It must be nice to be perfect and never do anything by accident. I wish I was like that ;)
The stylus is going to be put in its slot thousand of times over the life of the phone. Not every time will be done with no distractions, not every time will be while wide awake. Someone accidentally putting in the stylus backwards is not Samsung's fault. Samsung knowing the design allows the stylus to be easily inserted the wrong way, and making it so it easily damages the phone, means that they did not care. Or, it means that Palm engineers are a hell of a lot smarter. Posted via the Android Central App

Guess you didn't read the forums where folks like myself have had every note to date and I repeat never pit the pen in ass backwards. Here's a thought it's a $700 phone pay attention to what the hell your doing farther more the action doesn't render the phone unusable .reading its fundamental Posted via the Android Central App

I've had more Palms than you've had Notes, and I've never put the stylus in wrong either (until trying on purpose today). But, I still think it's too bad that Samsung could not figure it out. Posted via the Android Central App

They did figure that out. THAT'S why it is in the manual.... Posted via the Android Central App

I guess you didn't read the forums where it said that every note to date either physically wouldn't let you insert it backwards or gave an audible warning.

How are there not more "that's what she said" comments in here? It's amazing!Talk about low-hanging fruit... Posted via the Android Central App

That's what she said.

That's what he said. Posted via the Android Central App

It's amazing how many morons think these tech companies are supposed to baby sit them. If you're not smart enough to put the pen in the right way, or responsible enough to care, you deserve to ruin your $800 device. Should S5 owners bitch about water damage if they forgot to close the flap? People need to learn to take responsibility. Posted via the Android Central App

Here here enough said !! Posted via the Android Central App

Exactly!

I think the reversible S Pen is pretty much inevitable at this point. L is for "Lollipop". M is for "Marshmallow". LM is for "Le Mans". Wait, wait, what?

The note 5 sure is making a lot of headlines with this hilarious problem.

Let's not lose focus here my fellow earthlings. These people who did this in the first place, were grownups who managed to log on their computers and start a forum on AC to let the whole world know that they put their s pen backwards because they went paying attention. These words "I WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION" bothers me a lot about where us as human beings are heading. If now you can use those words to shift blame from your mistakes to someone else. Then for sure, we're on a slippery slope.
So let's not put kids in this equation yet, because people who did this stupity were grownups and their excuse is that they we were not paying attention.
Seriously guys my mind is blown. Why didn't I think about this excuse when I dropped my phone in the pool. After all it was design flaw since the phone wasn't waterproof.
How about we start a lawsuit and sue these big co-operations they've been selling us devices with so much design flaws that they make it hard to use them without paying attention. Since I paid top dollar for this thing, it should take all stupid things I throw at it. Posted via the Android Central App

^^^^^ This right here folks, is all that really needs to be said on the matter. Posted via the Android Central App

Well said. Posted via the Android Central App

So I just want to put this out there. I am appealed that so many people are so rude and disrespectful to folks that have made this foolish and mindless mistake. They certainly share some of the blame but it isn't solely theirs. I am the one that stated flawed design here first. It had nothing to do with not taking responsibility myself. I don't even have a Note 5. It was solely based on the fact good design generally exercises a reasonable attempt to prevent problems. The fact that those reasonable efforts have been removed to make the phone prettier is a down right shame. The fact Samsung published a change to their user manual online that adresses this that doesn't come with the phone is ridiculous. Especially if they cite that to users as their defense. My gear is there is really no good answer at this point. Posted via the Android Central App

Nice try but folks should be more mineful of expensive toys . This a Not a design flaw . And the only people that care about this is phone geeks like myself and everyone else on here the general public could care less . The folks line up at my local best buy to purchase the n5 don't care . This is much to do out of nothing. I have a n5 and can't see anyway I'd do this unless is was dead drunk you never owned a note most people that do don't even put the pen down so it never changes position. That alone makes it almost fool proof well I guess almost haha Posted via the Android Central App

Do we have to thank you for coming with this excuse? Posted via the Android Central App

First it isn't an excuse. Second thank Samsung for designing it the way they did and the guy who posted it originally for finding it. All I am guilty of is saying that is a really stupid design to let it go in backwards at all. Especially when they had enough sense to prevent it in all previous note devices. We can argue if it is a design flaw or feature all day long. I have not once said it wasn't the individuals fault for not putting it in properly. As a matter of fact I think people should take some responsibility. Especially those that do it after reading about it on here. But the absolute rudness people are responding with here is ridiculous. Posted via the Android Central App

I think the phone should explode if you put the pen in backwards. Just enough to take an arm off. Idiots would be easier to spot. Posted via the Android Central App

Remember not to stick metal objects in electrical sockets as well...... Wait on second though go ahead, try it out. If you don't know what's about to happen. Well awesomeness is about to happen!

Thank you for the Public Service Announcement Phil.
-Users, be careful how you re insert the S pen on the Note 5.
Duly *Noted*.

I find it funny people are accidently putting the pen in the wrong way. Never had this issue with the Note 3 or Note 4.

I used a Note 3 for some time and I always put the S Pen in correctly, even without much light. This is more of an issue with human idiocy than a design flaw. Posted from the LG G4 "Spigen + Anime" Edition. It says "Note 5 users. Pointy end of the S Pen goes into the slot first. NOT the other way around".

Okay, don't do it the wrong way. Check. But don't give users the chance to screw it up. this won't change who buys the phone or not, but it is certainly a funny gaffe to have on record.

this falls into the category of don't use your toaster whole taking a bath... take some responsibility for your actions. if you break your phone, it's not the manufacturer fault if you used it wrong. Posted via the Android Central App

You also shouldn't drive your car into a wall.
I mean, you *could* do it. Maybe even accidentally. Especially if you let your kid drive it. Just be warned that there's a good chance it'll damage the car and the wall.

It's more like putting on the wrong turn signal and having the door fall off. Yeah, it's stupid to use the wrong turn signal. It's perfectly ok for the door to fall off because the driver is wrong. Posted via the Android Central App

The more I read about these comment I think Samsung should start suing PPL who put spen backward. Because they intentionally sabotage the integrity of the phone by not following manual. And then when the phone break, they tend to discredit phone's design. Very bad will. Posted via the Android Central App

There are two issues here: 1. Samsung should have idiot proofed the pen holder; and 2. You are an idiot if you put the pen into the holder the wrong way.

I don't allow children to play with my Note 4. If you put your S Pen in backwards and your phone malfunctions, it is your fault! This is and should be a non discussion.

completely right. why is this even being discussed? it's the simplest thing in the world. pointy end in hole. and don't hand your investment over to your toddler.

You can call it what you want.. You can deny the notion of it being a flaw... But you can't tell me that it should be possible to do it.. One micro millimeter thicker on the wrong end would have stopped it from happening... I had to pull the pen out of my NOTE 2, just to try it.. Just to see for myself how hard or possible it would be for me to do it wrong... Kinda makes me want to go up to all the demo units and flip the pens in wrong just to point out that someone will make the mistake... Makes for interesting conversation though when you are showing off your new phone and have to warn the person not to screw up and put it in wrong...

Nailed it Posted via the Android Central App

You should go to the store and ask everyone to gather around as you demonstrate this valuable visual warning... Posted via the Android Central App

I rarely comment but I will lay out this blanket statement on this topic. Only a fanboy would wholeheartedly stick up for Samsung here. Several of their recent commercials show kids drawing pictures and such on their parents phones. To me, that's a selling point THEY themselves are advertising. A virtual babysitter I see all to often.... For them to design an spen that fits both ways is crazy and lazy. People are throwing around some pretty stupid analogies. To me, it's a lot like a battery that fits both ways and damages your phone. Totally careless on Samsung's part, end of story. Posted via the Android Central App

You know that little booklet they put in your phone box READ IT . It helps I've had all the notes and I still Reed it just cause I wanted to be informed . On some of the Dos and don't . As I've stated before most note users never actually put the pen down when we use it why would you . The folks that think it's easy to forget and put it in the wrong way don't own a note Posted via the Android Central App

100 percent right. if you don't read your manual and don't use some horse sense, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Hey man, have you read any articles about this at all? There is no booklet in the box to read. They published this to the only manual available, the ONLINE ONLY MANUAL, after the issue was reported to them. Why do people stand up for a phone company to this degree? It is undeniably a design flaw regardless of the opinions of a bunch of zealot fanboys.

if you wanna drop 800 bucks on a phone and then hand it to your five year old to play with, also dumb. my kids use my phone, but they are 8, and have developed a skill for/facility for using tech and using their brains at the same time. this isn't a fanboy talking. this is someone who thinks if you spill hot coffee on yourself, it's not the coffee house's fault. and if you don't know the pointy end of a stylus from the flat end, don't buy a phone with a bloody stylus. and don't hand your phone to a toddler just because someone does it on a commercial.

It is so funny that people consider being able to tap on a smart phone to be having a skill for tech. I will be impressed when they program something, but not when they change a launcher or like something on Facebook. Playing around with a phone does not make someone a techie. Also, I think that when you pay 800 for a consumer grade computing device you should be able to expect that it will not self destruct so easily. Honestly, this is the equivalent to your phone breaking just because you had the USB cable upside down the first time when you tried to plug it in. But man oh man, some people seem to treat a phone manufacturer like it is a religious deity that cannot be discussed except in praise. The defenses here are bizarre.

Half of what we use our phones for is to occupy my daughter when at restaurants. Hell you can download Kid Mode from the Samsung store. Not to mention anyone who is a parent should know that if you set your phone down it becomes fair game. Unless you say "dont touch this" ... because then we know they wont, right?

Lol I knew that wasr to45 comingo to be In the T Posted via someone's Note 4

whaaaaaaaaa?

I think he had a stroke while typing that... Posted via the Android Central App

He meant to say the castle of aaaagggghhhh...

So the spring actually pushed the top off my stylus, then promptly "sprung" out and disappeared. I put the pen partially back in, and low and behold it got pushed all the way in, and now it will not come out. Design flaw? I think so. But they consider it "damage". So now what?

Was threw really a need for this spring mechanism, there was nothing wrong with the way the Note 4 pen was inserted or pulled out, pulling out was and still is one motion with the Note 4 and no moving parts to break, the Note 5 you have to click it and then pull it out, wtf was Samsung thinking. Posted via the Android Central App

Basically, here are my thoughts. It's basically user error, though Samsung can do something to minimize the risk. First and foremost, like what Phil said, a little warning message should appear telling the user that the pointy tip of the S Pen goes in first when the S Pen is removed for the first time. Additionally, I think a minor S Pen redesign that gives a large amount of resistance when inserted backwards can help. Although I predict a reversible S Pen coming in the future (because human idiocy is something that even we can't avoid. We're all human, and we all do some idiotic stuff at some point in our lifetime), the best Samsung could do at least is maybe reduce the risk of this happening. You can't erase human idiocy, but you can at least minimize its impact.

Sucks for peoples kids who do that on them,but if they do it on their own I guess it's just a bad time to learn that lesson. Posted via the Android Central App

My grandson asks me all the time if he can use my phone. I tell him no, my phone is not a toy. I them tell him to ask grandma for her iPhone.... Posted via the Android Central App

Hahah I like it good one Posted via the Android Central App

If you are stupid enough to put a stylus in your phone point out, you deserve what you get. never in a million years would I, as a longtime note fan and new note 5 owner, do something so thoughtless and moronic. you want the flat side to be the last thing in, b/c --- one of the selling points of this phone --- it is basically flush with the metal edge of the phone. Samsung is right. read the damn instruction book if you need to. or remember what you learned in kindergarten, about not running with scissors, sharp and pointy end up.......it's not brain surgery. to me, warning people about the proper way to plug in their stylus is akin to having to remind folks not to stick metal forks and knives into outlets.

oh, also, remember people, do not put pancakes into the dvd tray in your xbox. it could damage the internals.

LOL, that reminds me of a tech support call early in my IT career where a woman called in to the help desk reporting the cup holder broke on her PC. Ends up she had put her coffee mug (full of coffee) on the open CD tray snapping it right off. D'OH!

Clearly a design flaw then right?..lol

I jammed my DVD player once. It ended up really sticky... Posted via the Android Central App

Reminds me of this part of Dave Barry's old column entry "Read This First": Congratulations! You have purchased an extremely find device that would
give you thousands of years of trouble-free service, except that you
will undoubtly will destroy it via some typical bonehead consumer
maneuver. Which is why we ask you to PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE READ THIS
OWNER'S MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU UNPACK THE DEVICE. YOU ALREADY
UNPACKED IT, DIDN'T YOU? YOU UNPACKED IT AND PLUGGED IT IN AND TURNED
IT ON AND FIDDLED WITH THE KNOBS, AND NOW YOUR CHILD, THE SAME CHILD
WHO ONCE SHOVED A POLISH SAUSAGE INTO YOUR VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDER AND
SET IT ON "FAST FORWARD", THIS CHILD ALSO IS FIDDLING WITH THE KNOBS,
RIGHT? WE MIGHT AS WELL JUST BREAK THESE DEVICES RIGHT AT THE FACTORY
BEFORE WE SHIP THEM OUT, YOU KNOW THAT? We're sorry. We just get a little crazy sometimes because we're always
getting back "defective" merchandise where it turns out that the
consumer inadvertently bathed the device in acid for six days. So, in
writing these instructions, we naturally tend to assume that your skull
is filled with dead insects, but we mean nothing by it.

It's not a warning on the Note 4, it's actually the normal sensor doing its job as it slides into the phone and passes the internal sensor making the phone vibrate or make an audible alert. It actually just thinks that it has been secured in its normal position since the magnet or whatever triggers the alert is on the very back end of the S-Pen. Only takes about 3/16" to set it off. Maybe just a software change can give a warning if the user tries to put it in backwards on the Note 5.

In the 3rd paragraph first sentence. "This is what you need to about". Forgot the "know" Posted via...The One

Oh my, maybe I should take the pointed end and..... oh never mind! Are we all bored enough to have a serious conversation about this topic? First, anyone who actually does get it stuck needs the following advise. First, adamantly blame it on your child, neighbor, mother in law, anybody! Practice in the mirror if need be, but most importantly, Deny it I tell you, Deny it! I'm telling you, people will never look at you the same again if you admit it, let alone blame the manufacturer for a "design" flaw!

Ludicrous how much people want their hands held by Samsung. You messed up your device by doing something you weren't supposed to do, own up to it instead of blaming the manufacturer.

The world today in a nutshell right here. ^^^

This is a non story, i have had every Note from 2 to the 5. I HAVE NEVER "ACCIDENTALLY" PUT IN THE STYLUS BACKWARDS. I cannot believe this is really a story.

Do companies really need to start child proofing things for adults now too? SMH

You should see my friends. Most of them have iPhones, and their minds were blown when they saw me use an OTG drive, take a selfie without pressing the shutter on the screen, and they were even stunned at the kickstand on my Spigen case. I know some of those are cool to them, but to you and me, they're standard fare. I've got friends who use a Note and they don't even know the S Pen exists. Posted from the LG G4 "Spigen + Anime" Edition. It says "Note 5 users. Pointy end of the S Pen goes into the slot first. NOT the other way around".

This is just painful to read that anyone on here would even take the time to say this is Samsung's fault, unless they are trolls.
If you are the child that pounds the triangle into the circle hole, I doubt your parents look at you and believe that you are going to grow up to be a pilot. Why oh why are we just letting the (dErPs) of the world take the wheel and drive us toward the future with the peddle to the metal only to find they had it in reverse the whole time. I could come up with any number of metaphors in life to relate to this problem of people shoving this S-pen into the phone backwards, but short of a sturdy slap to the face "Using the phone they damaged" as a wake up call, There should almost be no reason for anyone to run into this issue outside of a "CHILD" getting a hold of their phone.

I don't like articles by Phil, he always comes off as didactic to me. But Samsung could've just made it like a USB port. You can't put it in the wrong way. But what is done is done, I hope they make it right for the customers who paid 800+ for this phone. God damn that is a lot for a phone.

Considering the hardware that's inside these devices, is not a lot to ask. The tech inside is mind blowing when you take the time to consider it. They are miniature computers more powerful than the average laptop 10 years ago with the power efficiency to last all day. Posted via the Android Central App

Why would you want to put the pen in backwards anyway... Confused Posted via Android Central App

This could have been easily solved by Samsung. One way to prevent it is to give the "eraser" end a wider flange it would be bigger than the hole preventing you from putting it in wrong. The just make the first .5mm of the hole wider so the pen will still fit flush. Nintendo and Palm have been doing this for a very long time. "I've never done it" is not a good case study to lean on for a design that will be sold around the world.

It's not quite that simple. You'd still need some sort of recess at the bottom in order to push to click. That might be trivial, and it might not. But it can't be wider/bigger and flush with the bottom and still let you press it in to click.

You could do it with a "press in" spring release (aka SD card), "lip flange" (aka. Palm or previous Note), or any manner or other options. I have no doubt, between the two of us, in the comment section of a tech blog, we could design a solution for a worldwide consumer product, in 25 seconds, for no compensation. :) The point is: it's been solved for 20 years. Why unsolve (or ignore) it? It's a design oversight. I don't believe in blaming the consumer for things like this.

Does anyone know where I can get that wall paper they are using on the phone it the pics? Posted via the Android Central App

You know it's a problem when Samsung fixes it for the Note 6.

Butt first. Important rule Posted via the Android Central App

That's what she said.

That's what he said. Posted via the Android Central App

Samsung shouldn't be accountable for people's stupidity or for not reading the instructions properly Posted via the Android Central App

Just had my note 5 delivered yesterday - nothing in the manual says anything about the direction of the SPen insertion. Apparently the only place it exists is in the Online version of the manual.

Good thing Samsung didn't make 2 holes so you can put it in the wrong one by accident. Posted via the Android Central App

You know what - people do stupid things, all the time. They don't concentrate and never read manuals - and a company has to take note of that and design with that in mind. Sure, it's your own fault if you insert it the wrong way - but equally this is just really bad product design. There are a number of things they could have done to make it impossible to put it in backwards.

Can't put the Note 3's in backwards

Imagine if this happened with the iphone, 90% of it's users would be left with a broken phone..

Brilliant!

I don't think it's fair to say that as much fault lies with the user as you suggest. If a car company put an extra bladder of gasoline in a car (for some reason) and put the extra gas cap right next to the old one, you'd see people spilling gas on themselves pretty regularly while they got used to the (absurdly stupid) side by side configuration. My old Note 3 makes it literally impossible to insert the pen backwards (try it, the plastic gets in the way). Why they made the absurdly stupid design decision to make it possible to have it inserted backwards in the first place is beyond me, but they made it possible, and this is the result.

Remember, there are no accidents. Use protection. Posted via the Android Central App

people are dumb and keep getting dumber.

Actually no. IT's altogether too easy to insert it the wrong way.

Any design element is a calculation of benefit over cost. We're discussing the relative triviality of the benefit, but as the cost would have been zero if the designer had thought of the risk, then it's logically a flaw regardless of the size of it.

You honestly have to lay some of the blame on Samsung. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or brain surgeon to realize people will always find a way to mess something up. Or do a "non common sense" type of thing. Take a look at products around you. How many have multiple safety devices on them? How many have multiple warning stickers telling you not to do this or that. Its sad but nowadays people have less common sense. Good designers and manufacturers take this into account when designing products, making them as "idiot proof" as possible. The fact that the pen on the Note can be inserted wrong and get stuck is design flaw #1. The fact that the device gets damaged when you try to remove it is design flaw #2 . Sorry IMO this is Samsung's fault 100%. No amount of "read the manual" can make up for a sloppy design. No amount of blaming it on dumb people by the Samsung fan boys either. I find it hard to believe that Samsung DIDN'T know about this pen problem prior to releasing the Note 5. I hope for everyone involved that's had a problem that Samsung admits the design flaw and replaces the customer's device for free. Posted via the Android Central App

They did know. It is why it is in the manual to not do it.... Posted via the Android Central App

It's not in the printed manual. Clearly everyone posting this doesn't have a Note 5.

I'm sorry.... but there ARE a lot of things Samsung need to fix (micro sd cards & battery) but keeping people from putting the pen in backwards ????
I don't think they can fix STUPID

Yes they can. I have a Samsung tablet and there is no way to insert it backward. The tip is LARGEr than the hole, physically preventing that. I have too many times try inserting it backward when I was rushing.

I love that phrase, "Can't fix stupid". Posted via the Android Central App

Well like everything else there are definitely some low level retards that would do this kind of thing.. this is not a design flaw. Unfortunately the world cannot dumb proof everything for everybody. Pay attention, follow directions, read instructions, hahaha and don't put marbles in your nose. Samsung should not offer a cheap fix for the idiots that do this. Once again why should Samsung give a break for stupidity. If this age of new teq and great devices is to much for some people, they still have flip phones you can get for around 1 penny.

Comments like this add nothing to the conversation. "Low level retard." You know that that statement says a whole lot about YOU.

It says that he is not afraid to call a retard a retard. Posted via the Android Central App

Don't be the PC police!

All that bugs me is that people feel the need to be insulting about people instead of admitting that Samsung screwed up. I don't understand why anyone has such loyalty to an phone manufacturer. Yes, I agree, people *SHOULD* put the pen in the right way, but I also know that Samsung *SHOULD* have designed the phone well enough to prevent a simple mistake from breaking the phone. Most people who have kids occasionally allow their kids to play with their phones. A kid could easily put the stylus in wrong. Whether people love Samsung or not, and whether the phone is great or not (I think it is great), this is a major design flaw. As for people like this: You guys make me feel like I am living in Idiocracy.

It will be great in the future when all the people quick with the words 'retard, idiot, fool, moron' have all got jobs in the nuclear, aviation, NASA, railway, marine, mining, chemical and engineering industries. Think of the cost savings when safety devices are no longer needed.

it's not a flaw..it is "USER" error ...

It is a flaw. I have a Samsung tablet and there is no way to insert it backward. The tip is LARGER than the hole, physically preventing that. I have too many times try inserting it backward when I was rushing.

Kids play with parents phone. A kid could easily put the pen in wrong. This is absolutely a design problem, and a worse design problem than the bend-gate fiasco revealed (sitting on a tablet sized phone is obviously a bad thing to do). It is too bad, because I think that overall the Note 5 is one of the best designed phones that I have ever seen. This issue would not prevent me from buying the Note 5.

Nice. A Darwin award for Samsung users.

Is there a way to hide this article from the homepage? It feels like the IQ of the whole internet goes down by 15 points everytime my eyes gloss over it.

Another PSA to add here: be sure NOT to use the butt end of the S-Pen on your screen. You may scratch it! D'OH ;P

You say that jokingly but a lot of tablets that have a stylus use the end as an eraser. Its not out of the question to forget which stylus you have in your hand and flip it to erase. Just because you assume you are "too smart" to make that mistake doesn't mean you are.

I believe Samsung could have done more to prevent this through design - maybe a lip on the click tab that was wider than the hole - but I don't think it's a flaw that they chose not to and stuck with warnings. A design flaw would be something that comes up during normal use - usage for which the device was intended: ie: holding a phone in a typical way and interfering with reception, making a call and having the battery overheat, a screen that can not be seen in anything but a darkened room, etc... those are design flaws. While it is true that parents let kids play with their phones, kids could also drop the same phone and crack the screen or body. That is not a design flaw even though there are things that can be done by the companies to prevent damage. it is just something you need to consider when handing your expensive device to a child. I have some devices I won't let my kids touch. The ones they are allowed to use, I accept the risks on. I think this whole phenomena is similar to 'bend-gate' - real incidents that we can learn from, but ultimately just something onto which people inclined to hate one company or another can jump.

Like I said above, making the tab wider than the hole is not enough. You'd need some sort of recess on the bottom under the tab or you wouldn't be able to push it in to click it out. A wider tab can't be flush with the bottom and still let you push it in to click. Maybe there's an answer to that, and maybe it's trivial, and maybe it's not.

Jeeze, I don't even have kids and I know that kids sometimes get a hold of stuff...

It's no different than your kids dropping your phone in the toilet. My daughter dropped a phone in the cat water dish and it was ruined, even after the rice trick. That wasn't due to a defect in the phone.

Anyone making this mistake does not need the Note 5 to begin with. They obviously do not understand that they are using literally an expensive, miniature computer that requires the respect and knowledge to properly use it or suffer the consequences. Anyone not taking the time to read the manual and understand the majority of the phone's capabilities have no plans on using the phone to its full advantage. A sophisticated phone with a stylis is the last thing those people need.

In the Air Force we called it the 10 percent rule. You had to be 10 percent smarter than the equipment you are trying to operate. If the S-pen design is too complex for you to grasp, perhaps this $800 phone isn't for you. If you aren't sure how your new $800 phone works, perhaps you should read the manual. And if your kid gets their hands on your $800 phone and breaks it, perhaps you shouldn't leave your $800 phone lying around for a child to pick up. ./my$.02

.... and in a plane there's a light in the undercarriage lever to remind the pilot when it might be time to lower the wheels. Just in case!

Speaking of the Air Force... I'm sure the nuclear missile launch buttons have
clear plastic covers to prevent human error. Why bother? I'm sure those soldiers manning
the launch control are well-trained and should
NEVER launch a missile by accident.... so why
bother with a plastic cover over the launch
button? :)

Comparing Air Force equipment to a consumer grade electronic device: That is priceless. It is a phone for the masses and should be idiot proof. Anyone who has done any sort of IT work should know that anything that isn't idiot proof that is intended for normal users will fail. The expectations for normal use of a smart phone and the expectations for a jet mechanic differ quite a bit, did you work the mess hall in the air force?

You have to throw a WiiMote with a LOT of force in order for it to a) escape your grip, b) break the original WiiMote wrist strap, and c) crash your TV screen. Yet, Nintendo was forced to design a stronger wrist strap, and offer it free-of-charge to all customers who requested it.
I imagine something similar will happen here, and Samsung will design a new pen with a slightly larger clickable top - so that it cannot be inserted the wrong way - and offer it as a free replacement to all Note 5 customers who ask for it.

Again, a slightly larger top doesn't solve the problem. It prevents you from inserting it the wrong way, but it also prevents the "push to click" feature. Maybe there's a way around that, but it isn't just making the top wider. Like you say, it would have to be clickable somehow.

Here is what you need to know. You are stupid for putting the s-pen in the wrong way.

Nothing to see here! Please keep moving along! Nothing to see here!............ Posted via the Android Central App

At least you have to actually screw up to make this happen instead of just holding your phone normally to make it stop working (antennagate). Yes, Samsung is responsible for a bad design element. Yes, users are responsible for screwing up. It's an $800 piece of technology, pay more attention to how you interact with it.

Your holding it wrong. Wait, no. Your inserting it wrong. I see a fair number of people having this issue who have kids or pranksters considering how easy it is to do. The fact that Samsung knew about it and put a warning instead of making a slight engineering change sounds like negligence. That said, now that buyers know because every place reported on it there isn't an excuse for not knowing or being prepared. Posted via the Android Central App

Great article, also good to know that the manual specifically called this issue out. It really sucks for the people that this has and will happen to but I don't think Sammy should be legally responsible for the consequences. However, I do believe this is a poor design. Imagine if the sensor in the pen sleeve was near the end of the pen (where the pen starts to slope to a point. The flat end of the pen would not be able to reach and therefore the sensor would not get damaged.

Except the manual does not call this out ... at least not the one that came with my phone yesterday.

Clear case of RTFM. Posted via the Android Central App

In my opinion, it is a design flaw. It shouldn't be possible at all to insert the stylus backwards. As I understand it, it isn't possible to do this on any previous version of the Note, so somewhere in the design process, a change was made to the sheathe( for want of a better term) or the pen itself which allowed it to go in backwards and to cause damage to the sensor. The biggest problem I have is that Samsung knew about it before they shipped a single phone. Why else would they have put a warning in the instruction manual?

It's easy to put the stylus in the Note 4 the wrong way. Nevertheless, I've never done it except to see if it's possible.

Yep, and if you had a note 5 just doing it to see if it was possible would have damaged your phone. That is what makes it a design flaw. People who have never done something out of curiosity wouldn't understand.

ok guys just got back from verizon store and i put the pin in the wrong way on one of the displays and it instantly broke it, it was almost too easy, no type of sinsation that your putting it in wrong. :-/ i broke there display device and i promply walked out of the store. lol

This "story" is so unbelievable to me that it's hard to find enough adjectives to describe how pathetic it really is. Why do people love slavery so much that they clamor for someone to keep them safe from themselves? SMH and then SMH again just trying to forget what I just read.

Slightly off topic, but this issue with the SPen reminded me when I got a new phone and accidentally put the sim tray in incorrectly. The hole was on the left and when I slid it back in, it was on the right. It was a relatively cheap phone, but I was sure I was going to break off the metal contacts on the inside and hose any future ability to get data. Luckily, I was able to unjam it without any damage. It's another reason I am hesitant to use sim adapters for fear of jamming.......Enough said....Carry on.

If you want to see just how easy it is to put it in the wrong way take a look at Leo Laporte doing it in 'Macbreak Weekly' 469 at 49 minutes in. It's quite funny to watch too. Plenty of mention of Android Central and Phil too, you'll be pleased to hear.
Google it or here's a link if I'm allowed. https://youtu.be/OWjLgzGRnxM?t=2940
(AT&T wouldn't fix it btw.) There's a good Ars Technica article too. Here a quote from Ron Amadeo:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/08/galaxy-note-5-design-flaw-a-backw...
"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." 'All About Android' episode 228 talk about it earlier today too.
Some mention starts at 38 mins: https://youtu.be/KAbJWREEsi4?t=2280
Or go straight here for the main talk at 43 minutes: https://youtu.be/KAbJWREEsi4?t=2580 Watch and read but they're all of the same opinion, that it's a mistake by Samsung. I wonder if the non-release of the Note 5 in Europe has anything to do with this? Maybe it'll get a Europe release when the problem is sorted out? You can see in the first video just how easy it is to make this mistake. The pen really needs zero force to put it wrong and only needs to slide in 3/4 of the way and it's suddenly jammed without any warning resistance. I can see this happening a lot in meetings when listening and playing with the phone absent mindedly.

Except that you would expect by the time you put the pen in half way you would realise your pushing the tip and not the flat end. Also with the hole on the phone being square and exact same size as the end of the spen, you can't just put it in at any angle unlike the tip. You would 1st half the guide the top end of the pen into the hole in the phone and that's when the pen goes it easily once that 1st part is in. It's basically like those children's games where they have to hide the squares and circles into there respective holes and you can't just put them in and has to be guided. And then the whole Leo stuff. We saw him live purposely putting it in wrong and he pulled it in and out a few times before it got stuck so he full well is to blame knowing exactly what was going to happen. It's like being told don't put your fingers in a socket and you still go and do it. That was Leo,he knew what would happen and still went and did it and started to cry. Posted via the Android Central App

and if you did realize it half way in you are still past the sensor and will have already damaged your phone.

Thanks for linking to the video. It was hilarious and offers a good counter argument to those that believe this will only affect small children and morons. Posted via Android Central App

What is this world coming to when we need instructions to say the pen needs to go in pointy end in first. A freaking ape could get this right. I shouldn't even be commenting on this stupid sorry excuse for news, but i did anyways. Venting done.

I'm almost certain a child didn't do these stupid thing a full grown person did this act Posted via the Android Central App

Doesn't the Note 5 actually have a Kids Mode? Don't they develop apps specifically for children to play with using the SPen. Drawing and coloring games? I mean come on, Samsung wants kids to play with the phone. People are just defending Samsung like a deity at this point.

If they fix it it's only cause there trying to appease all the stupid people in the world . SAMSUNG YOU CAN'T fix stupid Posted via the Android Central App

This is the first article that demonstrates some common sense instead of making a big deal out of this. Good article, Phil!

Only an idiot would put it in backwards!

I still can't believe this is a thing.

If you are tempted to insert the S-pen upside down this article has too many multi-syllable words to help you.
Do it again and you won't get any dessert

Well at least we know who the idiots are in inserting the pen the wrong way. You get what you sow. Posted via the Android Central App

Well looks like most are saying that retarded hot cup of coffee that clearly says hot( cause at one point some asshole sued so now they have to put it) is a design flaw in the cup.....be accountable for crying out loud, if your gonna be stupid expect stupid things.

I heard if you accidentally drop it into the microwave, it renders the whole phone useless! Design flaw? You decide Posted via the Android Central App

Pointy end in, flat end out. Duh. End of discussion. Yes, it is a design flaw of sorts. Samsung should have anticipated us Americans being so brain dead that we could "accidentally" shove something in the hole the wrong way and accounted for that in the design. Making the butt end just a bit wider would have negated this issue from the start. That said, I am baffled by the number of people whining about this. It's like they're out there screaming "Look! I'm too stupid to follow directions so you should save me!".

Should you put the pen in backward? No. Is it possible, while in a hurry, to put it in backwards? Yes. Should that break your phone? No.
Design Flaw. I know this: If I design something for use in our shop, if it breaks because someone used it wrong, I get shit over it, not the person who broke it. As an Engineer, that's your responsibility. Samsung knew about this, but likely didn't catch until they were so far along that they decided not to fix it properly. So it went into the manual as a warning, so they could pass blame. Just add it to the list of poor decisions, along with no SD Card and Fixed Battery.

It has nothing to do with a person being negligent, it depends on the attention of the user or the skill thereof. For example, if say you've handed this very nice drawing device to a kid - pretty good chance that at some point they are going to insert that pen in ass-first. That's just an eventuality. So while we can try to blame the victim for what is an obvious design defect, there are very real use cases where this is likely to happen.

A very important element of design is to take account of things being used incorrectly. Thousands of things we use every day have been very carefully thought out by the designers considering what could go wrong. I could list pages of them. Have you ever put a DVD in the drive the wrong way up? Did it just open again or did it break the player? Much careful thought of designers is invisible to us because they get it right most of the time. Seeing that Samsung don't ask for an IQ test from their customers it's a certainty that hundreds of these phones will be broken in this way. For Samsung to write off a small proportion of their customers as idiots won't make for a great marketing strategy. As there are only two ways to put the pen back, for one of them to break the phone is an oversight, an error, the only question is how big. The troll attitude of dismissively calling people morons is predictable as they suppose that by writing a one-liner calling people idiots implys that they are smarter even if they have no coherent argument to add to their comment. They're wrong, but it's a shame to see that it's as prevalent here on a tech site as it is on YouTube. Being pro or anti Samsung has nothing to do with it. Why not just be pro good design regardless of who's doing it?

Putting the S-pen in backwards really feels un-natural to me. But Samsung should have considered this and blocked it - they clearly did so on the Note 3 & 4. Posted via the Android Central App

This will never happen to me. I own the Note II, Note 3, Note 4... and
maybe the Note 5. I still have my old Note II and Note 3,
but the Note 4 is a daily phone. Oh, why will I never put the stylus in backwards?
Simple... I NEVER use the S-Pen in any of these
three Note phones. I only bought these three
phone because of the larger screen. Nothing
else.

If Samsung didn't realize a few user's might accidentally try to insert the S Pen in backwards by mistake...then the company's R&D department needs to be canned immediately. They took their chances, it didn't work, now pay to fix it.

When you are designing a device and selling it for $900 you need to look for all accidental situations and prevent it from happening. But looks like Samsung is not interested in providing good phone to users. Instead they are joining in "Use and Throw" device manufacturers.

I'm not sure why people keep defending Samsung here? This is most definitely a design flaw. If something can go wrong it will. Of course, no can design away every situation (like dropping in a toilet, or on the floor, or sticking the stylus up your ass as many people are using as a credible examples of misuse, Wow, really?!), but you can and should design out as many mistake situations as possible. Like this one. Almost every other stylus equipped device is "mistake proofed" to inserting the stylus the "wrong way" (or it can go in both ways, with out damage). There are so many easy ways to prevent this. For God's sake the pen has a point on it! Make the bottom of the stylus storage chamber a cone so the blunt end of the stylus won't go in all the way! Or make the butt end of the stylus smaller diameter so it won't get captured....so may design solutions. I'm sure there are even better solutions out there. The engineers at Samsung aren't stupid, this was a management issue. Contrary to all the geniuses here who have "never inserted my pen the wrong way...". Imagine if a USB connector could go be inserted just as easily upside down, but would become stuck and damage the USB port when removed? 'But it clearly is marked with a USB symbol on the top side and the manual states on page 98 that this could happen'. All the AndroidCentral forum posters (Obviously not *All*, just the smart ass ones, you know who I'm talking about ;v) would shake their heads and say 'idiot user'. Or imagine an airline seatbelt which could be inserted either way (yes, one way the seat belt would be twisted and any 'idiot' should know that is incorrect), but if inserted "wrong" it locked you in and you couldn't get out without breaking the latch. Would you consider either of these "good design", only an issue for "idiot users"???? I'm sure you can come up with all sorts of situations where users can misuse devices and it would be their own fault, and you might be correct. This is not one of those situations. User mistakes happen and good designers work to alleviate possible mistakes, by design, when plausible. So yes, people can do stupid things. Sometimes it is because of the....uh....person. Sometimes people are distracted, angry at their spouse/kid/boss, some people just think differently than average, whatever. Samsung deserves both the bad publicity and the cost of fixing broken phones, etc. here. To have a $800+ phone break from a very easy mistake is a flaw. I know there a lot of perfect posters here who have never tried to insert something incorrectly, but I'm not talking to you super geniuses. Well maybe it's just that those posters don't have many insertion opportunities ;v0 And all the comments about don't let a kid play with an $800 phone, obviously you don't have kids. I guess you super-parents never leave your phone on the counter anywhere near your kid? Young kids (some) get into everything! At what age would you let a "kid" use your phone? Do they have to be 18? Could they, for instance play with a $300 phone? Is that okay. I'm glad you have all the answers, you'll make a great parent someday. ;v)

I have been a long time Samsung Customer having bought the Galaxy S2 note 2,3,4,5 note 10" tablet 2014 and gear S watch the note 5 will be the last time I give my money to Samsung. I thought the phone was grate until I put the S-Pen in backwards and the nightmares began.
I put the S-pen in backwards by accident while in a meeting taking notes on my phone it was muscle memory to put the pen in the phone with out looking in the past note model it would not allow it to go in backwards without force. when I called Samsung they were willing to do nothing about it except they offered to have me ship my brand new phone off to a repair center for at least 2 weeks for repair which may or may not cost me money they couldn't tell me which is absolutely ridiculous. They put 100 percent of the blame on me when I spoke with the president of customer relations at Samsung, he told me the same thing everyone else at Samsung said this is not a design flaw it is misuse. I take responsibility for my part but I don't what they consider a design flaw if this isn't one. the note 5 is going to be the last Samsung product I ever purchase. when Samsung advertises kids playing with their parents phones in the car in child mode how can they release a device that has such a obvious flaw then blame the customer for misuse. T mobile wanted to charge me 175 dollars to replace the 5 day old phone which I refuse to pay after being a customer of the company for 16 years. Samsung and T mobile should be ashamed to treat a customer so poorly certainly one who purchases their most expensive devices every year. aside from the design flaw I did really like the note 5 its just the lack of customer support and standing behind their products that has left a really really bad taste in my mouth for Samsung.

Don't put the pen in backwards lol Posted via the Android Central App

Wow, you screw up and put you pen in backwards and you hate Samsung. If you put your shoes on backwards do you hate the shoe manufacturer? You made a stupid mistake so own up to it. Posted via the Android Central App using thevAT&T Note 5, 64Gig

OK....here it what you people need to know about the Note 5 S pen debacle: #1. If you bought a Note 5 you are a tard. #2. If you stick the S pen in backwards you are a tard. #3. If you've done all this then a hammer is probably the solution in your mind. #4. Buy a real phone and get one of the new Nexus devices coming out soon. That is all........

I for one did it cause I was curious. Curiosity kills the cat, as they say. Thankfully I was able to exchange the phone no questions asked at my local AT&T retail store today. But that won't happen again. No more S-Pen in clicking side first.

Same ... luckily I did it when it was 5 minutes old.

Solution: https://youtu.be/oEUaeGYhTlk

Great fix!

AC - Come on. This is pointless. Posted via the Android Central App

how many of you have actually held a note 5 that say its not something anyone could easily do ? if you haven't shut the F up because you don't have a clue and have no business chiming in on this topic. it is easy to do if you don't look at the phone when putting the S-pen in the phone. with all the senors Samsung puts in the phones they should have one that tell you that the pen isn't going in right. or simply not allow it to go in backwards with out force like all the past model a child could do this easily and for all those that say don't give you kid an 700 dollar phone they show a KIDs mode on the phone on commercials would blame someone if they dropped Samsung active in a pool by accident and it got water damage yes you probably would because your clueless.

Get your S Pen unstuck with a piece of paper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEUaeGYhTlk

PEBUAS = Problem Exist Between User and S-pen .... *rolls eyes * hahaha

Hey Phil,
I know this is a little off subject, but can you or anyone confirm if the note 5 on Sprint will have the same limitation as the note for by not being able to do simultaneous voice and data due to the spark radio this is seriously a deal breaker and maybe even a carrier switching decision for me. Posted via the Android Central App

Put pen in backwards....you're a moron.
We don't need any more "guardrails" to protect people from natural selection.
Too many morons are now alive and infecting the US population due to over protection.
Humans are no longer subject to natural selection therefore evolution has been stunted.
Stick the pen in backwards.....you get what you deserve, a broken phone.

Just went back and read several of the "design flaw" supporters...wow, I just can't help myself.
You can sit on a toilet backwards...design flaw?
You can put the wrong key in the key hole...design flaw?
You can wear pants backwards....design flaw?
You can put a watch on backwards...design flaw?
You can use a spoon upside down...design flaw? No...in each case a minimal amount of intelligence, common sense and accountability is required to operate these difficult tasks.
If performing these tasks (including putting the S Pen correctly) are not within your ability, you probably shouldn't own a phone, drive, work, have children, etc.

Sit on toilet backwards, result: You flush and walk away. Put wrong key in lock, result: key does not fit, or key fits but you just pull it back out. Pants on backwards, result: You look like a fool, but could easily slip them off. Use a spoon upside down, result: very messy eating soup, but none the worse for wear. Insert the s-pen in backwards result: ruin a very expensive piece of electronics. Posted via Android Central App

Lol. Very true. Posted via the Android Central App on my BlackBerry Passport

Defending and justifying stupidity....? Guess we all know where you're S Pen is ending up.

+10000 Posted via the Android Central App

It's a mistake they found during testing and the workaround is a notation in the documentation. Poor design. Look up poka-yoke. Samsung missed this one badly and the engineer that overlooked it is personally and privately ashamed of him/herself for not thinking thinking through all the use cases and stories.

Try this: http://phandroid.com/2015/08/28/note-5-s-pen-fix/ Posted via the Android Central App using my Samsung Galaxy S5 now rocking Lollipop on AT&T

I don't believe you. I am going to test this. Posted via the Android Central App

Once again, people going nuts over their own stupidity. Bloop, Bloop, Bloop...Samsung :D •Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, Android 4.4.2
•Clasic Pebble Smartwatch

Finally got our 4K video up explaining the situation and how to fix the problem if you encounter it. We're willing to help those customers that are affected that aren't comfortable repairing themselves. Good luck to those affected! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIonKxVnVJk

This is so bizarre i wouldn't be surprised if people working for apple started all this. if i hold a knife the wrong way i will cut my hand, if i don't pay attention to the road i will crash my car.

I know the article is just poking fun, however one would have to be a complete idiot to insert the S Pen incorrectly. Can't fix stupid. Posted via the Android Central App

Hah, great read Phil. There are too many idiots out there who don't want to take responsibility for doing something stupid. I say we just take the warning labels off of everything and let the problem sort itself out. This is as dumb as the parents complaining to Google about their kids racking up IAP's. Posted via the Android Central App

I guess there will always be people with zero common sense. Posted via the Android Central App

It's both funny and kinda sad the lengths people will go through to justify Samsung making such a simple mistake, let alone releasing I anyways in spite of being aware of the problem. It fits the entire definition of a design flaw, and not only that, but as others have pointed out, they somehow messed up something that others (and even themselves) have figured out years, if not decades ago.

The title of this article should read "Can't Fix Stupid: Coping With Inserting Your Note 5 S Pen Backwards" lol Posted via the Android Central App

Okay so I have had the note 5 since it came out. I never saw the message about the same pen. I'm no idiot but I did accidently put it in backwards. (I'll explain in a minute). I am in my junior year in college. I'm a bright student with a bright future and veer tech savvy. The point I'm getting at I would not normally make a stupid mistake like that; however I had my phone in its otterbox on my night stand next to my little fan. After hours of vibrations my phone was knocked off of my night stand. The stylus actually popped out of my phone. I probably didn't insert it all the way after my last use that night. Either way walking up from a deep sleep and barely noticing the pen lying on the floor I proceeded to pick it up and inserting it backwards for I did not know it was possible at the time. I was acrylate successful at getting the out without and force but I did manage to mess up the automatic detection. Now I'm not blaming Samsung, but I feel as though this is not entirely my fault. There are actually 3 peeps I feel are responsible. 1. Myself for committing this stupid act although my motors kills, cognitive processing, and vision we not at their best. 2. Samsung for what is a design flaw, despite the little warning they give you. 3. The AT&T sales associate because they are the ones who booted up the phone before I even got to touch it, and I'm sure she removed then pen to make sure it was working properly, and like most of us ignored the warning. So accidents happens is the point I'm getting at. Should Samsung be held liable for every case? Absolutely not

Why is this even an article.... Posted via the Android Central App

Saying this is the users fault is like saying you deserve a destroyed car if you put a diesel fuel hose into a gasoline car. There are millions of users and people will make mistakes. Its EASY to design around this, just like you can't put a diesel fuel pump into a gas engine - they designed the size of the hose end to not fit. This is totally a design flaw by Samsung, totally unacceptable - and they should recall and replace every phone, or fix for free. If a car had this design flaw the government would mandate a recall or free replacement.

This is an attempt to throw dirt on the Note 5 so when Apple releases it's latest phone, then people can give this reason as to why they should go with Apple instead of Samsung. This, IMO, is the dumbest thing to go after them about. Who would be in that much of a rush that they put the S Pen that belongs to an expensive phone in backwards?!? Now everyone wants to say it's a design flaw. Everyone has to understand that the silo has to be wide enough for the entire pen to fit into (and I hope everyone notices that the S Pen does get a little wider from the pen top to the top). So, with that being said, that's why you can slide it in backwards but not all that far. If you're going to go at the Note 5, go at it for the lack of a removable battery or no expandable memory (the things that put made it stand out). Like I said...this is my opinion. Posted from my GALAXY Note 4

Again... Natural selection. If you put your S Pen in backwards you would probably be dead by now if society hadn't put so many guardrails up to protect you. Thanks for screwing up the gene pool.

Have you ever accidentally hit the delete key while a file is highlighted or accidentally messed up a spreadsheet cell entry? That is why we have programmed warning messages (are you sure?) and UNDO functions. People make mistakes - even the best of us! This is poor design planning. Simply a slotted guide with a stop that would prevent accidentally inserting the pen the wrong way, would suffice. What about kids? Have you ever let your kids use your phone? If it can be done wrong, they'll find a way!

Lol, the bigger design flaw is all of that glass. Is Samsung going to be responsible when you drop it and the whole phone shatters? This may be a 50/50 thing. While people do need to take responsibility for their own carelessness, Samsung also needs to take some blame. I have a Note 2 & Note 8 and it would be impossible to put the pens in wrong. Common sense is a thing of the past It's sad that this is actually a thing. As my mom would say, use your head for something besides a hat rack.

To me this is really a marketing mistake on Samsung's part, not a design issue. Yes, just like the battery and SD Card. They should want to market the device to the broadest audience possible. Now it's a device that has limited memory, no replaceable battery, and can only be used by savvy users. The biggest overall issue is that they no longer differentiate themselves as much from Apple for the average person that doesn't care what OS is running.

I can't believe all you bashers do not consider a child may put it in backwards. We actually broke it off trying to remove it (that was the dumb part, pulling to hard) but my child wanted to try the pen out and I never dreamed that could happen. :-(
AFTER we broke it is found a video with a piece of paper being used to disengage the clip holding it.

I've enjoyed my note s5 for 17 days until I tried to use my note and the cap on the end of my pen was missing. And no...I did not put it in backwards. Best buy gives you 15 days to return but at 17 days could do nothing. Suggested I call Samsung which I did and spent a long hour on the phone with them while I was still at Best Buy. They told me over and over that I must have misused the pen because this could have not happened any other way. What!!!! Then they said I could send it to them. They were sending me an email with the directions and paper to print so I could send the pen back and they would determine what in fact happened to it. They then informed me they were transferring me to someone to make sure I understood what exactly I was to do. The next thing to come on the phone was a recording saying they were closed and call back tomorrow finishing with a prerecored goodby. Oh and guess what...no email. What great customer service.

I had this problem - very easy to do if one even inserts a halfway the wrong way by accident (on a moving subway for example). I called Samsung, and basically they do not formally acknowledge the problem, but have the following clever solution. They will make you do all sorts of tests, including going to best buy, and then they will cover it under warranty. Hence if the feature is very important to you it can be fixed eventually, but at great cost. This way they will learn how important is the feature, but most people will simply live with no pen detection. This is unfortunate, but interesting logical response. The design failure is so blatant and obvious that I am concerned about the future of this company....

Just got my note 5 I don't think I could ever make this mistake myself it comes down to how clumsy you are, I've also never broken any of my smartphones before even my oldest Droid x and 1st Gen iPod are in pristine condition. If you are the type to drop your phone in the toilet than I see how this could be a problem in my personal opinion people like that should get insurance because at the end of the day if it isn't one mistake it will be another smartphones can't be protected from everything and everyone.

So I've had the note5 for 6 days and my s pen broke off inside when ejecting it and it was in the correct way. I clicked the button to take out the pen and the top half from the tip to half way up the length of the pens casing was torn off. I called the ATT store yesterday and they said bring it in and I could return it, however when I showed up tonight they said nope it's damaged and I had to call the damage support claim line. Needless to say im unhappy, if I had put it in backwards and broke it I'd take responsibility for having to go through the run around but I was using it it as designed. Samsung said they'd fix it but I am stuck with the phone for 2 years and unless att agrees to exchange it for something else Ill be paranoid about it breaking everytime I eject the pen.

I believe that its a major design flaw. They should have made them so they were much thinner and made it impossible to push it in beyond the point of ruining the phone.. They should pay for each and every one of them that have issues. The last I knew we were all human and make mistakes. I don't have little kids at home to be playing with my phone, but this adult overheard me saying that my phone was a Note 5 so I left it setting while I went to another room to get my brows waxed and this person took it upon themselves to inform me when I come out that I have a nice phone. I gave her a dirty look and said uh thanks! The stylist was in the right way but later on that evening when I used it everything seemed fine and then I had some issues. But I had issues before that with taking my stylist out with a black screen and white markings like on a music equalizer would appear when I would take out the stylist so I believe that I got a bad phone anyway. That can happen as they are human also....I really think they should just change things so that you can't shove or insert the stylist wrong period...... Just my opinion!!!!

Okay, I knew about a the pen issue before I bought my note 5. But the other day I was using my note 5 and pen then my phone rang...so while I was talking on the phone holding it too my head I went to put my pen in phone and sang it I stuck it in have halfway backwards freak out and pulled it back out. What doesn't work is the air pen not being recognized and saying pen is detached. I am so upset as I really used those features. What do I do! Posted via the Android Central App

I have had this phone for less than a month. I purchased this phone because of the s pen since I have long fingernails - after using the s pen for only less than a month - I put the pen in the phone correctly - it id not seem to be locking and I didn't want to lose it so I pushed it in with my fingernail
The pen would not come out.
Took the phone directly to verizon where I was told - no problem samsung will over night you a new phone
The next day the new phone came with NO S PEN !!!!!
Took the phone back to verizon today where the new customer service person told me - of course they don't come with pens????L:"<_+%^
Where upon they took the phone in the back and somehow got my s pen out and told me I now have to buy a new s pen
Came home and ordered an s pen on line and I could have done this days ago - plus why does this pen come apart - I have my ruined one and if you pull on it the top comes off -- why would any phone company make a pen that is in two 22222222 pieces
Good idea horrible design

That's all fine and good ... except what happens when my 3 year old is drawing pictures on the phone and shoves it in backwards? Do I need to keep my phone locked in my gun safe to ensure she doesn't break it? This is absolutely a design flaw - and a very easy one to avoid.

Here's the solution that works perfectly
https://youtu.be/oEUaeGYhTlk

Is there anyone who actually had a problem with it getting stuck after putting it in the right way?????

What would posses someone to insert the pen backwards? Do you put the knives in you kitchen in the knife block backwards? Should not be a surprising question since common sense is obviously no so common to most.

I did not even insert my s-pen backwards, i just remove it from my phone coz i want to use it, click it coz as advertised you can do it like a pen with the clicking mechanism, i did not abuse my s-pen as to like clicking it too much and all of a sudden it breaks, the connection where the spring is came out. too bad that i know i can easily buy a new s-pen and or put glue to fix it but this such quality from an expensive phone is not what i expected.

The biggest flaw in your article is not understanding how the pen can go in backwards. For me, it was the hands of a 6 year old. How about they make the end of the pen that doesn't go into the phone too big to actually fit. The phone was apparently not designed by a parent.

The spring load broke on my pen when I was removing from phone while it was inserted correctly.

PLEASE READ
I registered just to tell you all my story. This just happened today. My S-pen is stuck, but no I didn't put it in the wrong way. I pulled the S-pen out and top part with the clicking mechanism detached from the body and the spring shot out. After searching for the tiny spring for several minutes i managed to put the pen back together. And all seemed fine. I put the S-pen back in my phone and when I went to pull it out again the only part I got was the back end! So now the body of the Pen is stuck in my phone! Im headed to ATT now to see what they can do. But to Clarify this is a design flaw that Falls on Samsung! TL;DR - back of stylus broke off when I tried to pull it out. Now the body of the S-pen is stuck in my phone.

Same exact thing happened to mine a few days ago.

I think it has something to do with that blackish blue glue that keeps the two parts connected. I was able to get it back out just now but it needs to be reglued. I may just use some crazy glue if att or Samsung doesn't want to do anything

This isn't entirely true. My pen is stuck /broken and it wasn't put in incorrectly or backwards. I always make sure I put it in correctly and I barely even use it. I went to use it the other day and pushed the end to eject it and one the spring loaded part ejected. The rest is stuck in the phone.

I have a Galaxy 5 that I bought in August. I've had two pens stylus pens somehow fall out. I had to buy replacements. And because of this article which I read months ago, I have been exceedingly careful not to put the PIN in backwards. My pen got stuck in the chamber without ever putting it in backwards and I had to actually get a jewelry tool in order to get it out. I'm so disappointed that I just didn't buy the Galaxy 6 edge.

Ok, I've read the article as well as some of the commentary and here's my take .... It is beyond my reasoning how someone smart enough to have a Note 5 is stupid enough to put the S-pen in backwards. It never entered my mind to even think that the pen can go in backwards. And, sure, it's the American way to blame the manufacturer for not prohibiting us from doing stupid things. Maybe you guys who have put the pen in backwards should get together and hire an Attorney to bring a Class-Action Suite against Samsung. I hope none of you guys own a chain saw!!!

Guess what! Unlike what is mentioned in your article, it can indeed get stuck even put in correctly. We learned that last week in our family. It turns out that the spring is subject to wear and tear. So after a couple of months of regular use, including clicking it like a pen when not in the device, it is now stuck in the device. This is not an end-user problem, this is a defective product.

If this is not Samsung's fault, my question is why did they build a safeguard to prevent this on the note 4? It should not be so easy to break such an expensive phone! What about if my grand daughter grabs my phone and plays with it as she does all the time and puts it in backwards? Now we have to remove the pen before letting kids touch our phone? Or to be really safe, remove the pen altogether???? I think this is an oversight and Samsung simply wants to avoid the cost of repairs. What they should do is design an optional pen replacement that cannot break the sensor if inserted backwards. I saw a Youtube that shows how to modify the pen to eliminate this risk. Surely Samsung can come up with a more elegant solution and at least offer a modified pen to those interested - even if we would have to buy it. I have very little expsoure but for those with small kids in the house, this is a valid concern.

Okay, so I put it in the right way but it wouldn't lock in. I tried pushing the end a few times and then the darker half just shot out of the phone, obviously launched by the spring. The other half was stuck in the phone. The Verizon store was able to finally get it out, saving the phone, but despite the fact that it was only nine weeks old, and Verizon said that it just looked like a shoddy glue job holding it together, Samsung refused to replace it. Said it was only under warranty if it was defective. Apparently to them, a pen that separates in two and gets stuck in the phone is perfectly normal.

It is Samsungs design flaw!!! Who makes a 700 dollar phone with an S-pen that if u put it backwards you can damage your device??? There is no such thing as perfect in this world & if u think your perfect then your a dam idiot because accidents happen!!!!! Yes, I put my S-pen backwards because I was half sleeping and I saw my S-pen on the bed and put it the phone and didn't click on the end to make sure it was correct So yeah it happens & yes that's Samsungs fault. Posted from my Note 5

I have this phone, and guess what, my S pen got stuck first week. Guess what else, I PUT IT IN THE RIGHT WAY. In fact, it is very clear which end to put in first since it is tapered at the point and the ass end fits nice and snug in the rectangular hole. There was no human error (despite my user name. I'm already waiting for the comments about how stoned I was). It got stuck because at some point the s pen slipped right out of my phone (yup. I guess this could be the human error. You know, the error of putting your phone in your pocket and somehow the s pen is clicked out without your knowledge). After I put the s pen back in PROPERLY. The next day I went to remove the s pen. It apparently had cracked in the fall, and half of it decided to stay in it's nice warm cave. In conclusion, the s pen is apparently a cheap piece of **** and we shouldn't assume human error is always at fault.

Sorry to sound like a schmuck but this reminds of the adage "as soon as you make something idiot proof God invents a better idiot." Take a look at the phone and the pen when you first remove the pen. Since when do you insert the WIDE end of an accessory that goes into a sleeve first and the NARROW end last? If it was not easy to detect the difference between one end of the S pen and the other I could understand but it is SO CLEAR which is the narrow end and which end fits flush with the outside of the frame of the phone, this is a mistake I would not admit to my peers having committed because it would be a symptom of ADD, ADHD but more likely just plain laziness and stupidity. Yes, I am a harsh person but so tire of the "appeal to lowest common denominator" schmoes of the United States. Instead of there being an incentive for paying attention and acting responsibly, society absorbs the cost of a litigious society based upon stupidity of the "aggrieved." If you broke your phone and had to pay to have it repaired by putting the pen in OBVIOUSLY backward, GOOD. Maybe next time you'll be less obsessed with pathological constant text messaging and pay more attention to the task at hand. If someone is so inept as to not be able to insert the S pen correctly perhaps that person should not buy a $700-$800 phone and stick with a "Daisy."

BTW, I am NOT a Samsung fan boy and think this phone is way more hype than substance. Having bought the 64gb version the only reason I didn't buy the Note 4 was the $24 + monthly "surcharge" for buying the Note 4 for a buck because it was "on sale." Also, Samsung does not honor its advertised "free gifts" offers EXCEPT on the first device of a particular type you buy and this is not spelled out on the outside of the packaging. I bought $1500 + worth of Samsung tablets and just getting the FIRST set of "free gifts" ( 50GB of Dropbox storage for 2 years which they cut off after one year) took over 2 months of haggling with Samsung. Their products are profiled as creme de la creme but their customer service is like that of the a bargain basement operation. Inserting the pen backwards though seems to be due to not paying attention to me. Sorry if I offended anyone with ADD or ADHD as these are legitimate medical conditions and if you are thus afflicted and insert the pen backwards, in contrast to my prior rant, you get a free pass and it is not your fault. But for those I see driving 80 m.p.h. + on I-95 with a newspaper folded over the steering wheel, texting, applying makeup or shaving, and you insert the pen backwards, that is on you. Just because something costs $800 does not mean it is exempt from damage due to user error or failure to follow included instructions. You would actually have to turn the pen end over end or rotate it in a 180 degree arc after its use to insert it backward. I wish I'd bought a Moto X pure style or a Droid turbo maxx instead becasue in my opinion an $800 phone should not require charging multiple times a day if you use it more than for the occasional phone call, web browse or text message. This is a business tool and with the money in general Samsung has I'd think they'd apply a little better tech to the batteries in their premium devices. I have had 2 Tab Pro 12.2" tablets and a Tab 2 10.1" tablet and all three last at least an entire day with HEAVY usage and screen on times of 6-8 hours MINIMUM. I have yet to pass 6 hours or even get close to it with the screen brightness turned down to 9-12% on the Note 5, no apps running in the background and using the screen the bare minimum. I do not believe Samsung cannot equip an $800 phone with a battery that only has to be charged a maximum of 1x every 24 hours. I think Samsung is greedy and cheap and I was stupid for buying this phone instead of a number of other devices at half the price. This will be my last Samsung phone but as far as the pen issue, I think it is just a symptom of the cluelessness of our society and another person wrote earlier, FAILING TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, even the abbreviated ones that occupy a couple pages and take whopping 5 minutes to read and familiarize oneself with the items being discussed.

I am seriously late to the party, but I would still like to say this: The top of the pen should be a little bigger so that it can't be inserted as butt-first. Second point is, just like everyone else stated, it should allow to put the pen any way and still work fine.

Hot news flash, kids. You don't have to put the pen in backwards for it to get stuck. A 3-foot drop with the pen installed correctly will do it. Now, how do you get the pen fragment out of the Note 5?