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

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ars.AD.queue.push(["xrailTop", {sz:"300x251", kws:["bottom"], collapse: true}]);The Galaxy Note 5 has a novel new S-Pen slot design. The Pen inserts flushly into the body and a spring-loaded mechanism ejects it. As Android Police discovered (and we just had to try too), the new design isn't that robust—gently inserting the S-Pen backwards into the slot can irreparably damage the Note 5.

The right way to dock the S-Pen into the device is to slide the pointy end in first, but if you slide the blunt end in first, the S-Pen will get jammed in the device. The spring mechanism that holds the pen in will clamp down on the wrong end of the S-Pen and won't let go. It is possible to wiggle the pen free from the spring's hold, but when we tried it the S-Pen detection features stopped working.

Normally on the Note 5, removing the S-Pen when the screen is off will launch a quick note taking app, and removing it when the screen is on will launch the radial S-Pen menu. After putting the S-Pen in backwards and wiggling it out, all of these features stopped working.