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Samsung defends Note 5 phone after complaints on storing stylus

SEOUL — Samsung Electronics Co. responded to criticism on social media today (Aug 26) about its new Galaxy Note 5, acknowledging that the device can break if its stylus is inserted backward in the storage slot.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Photo: SAMSUNG

Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Photo: SAMSUNG

SEOUL — Samsung Electronics Co. responded to criticism on social media today (Aug 26) about its new Galaxy Note 5, acknowledging that the device can break if its stylus is inserted backward in the storage slot.

The S Pen’s uniform width, with a different design from the previous model, means it can be inserted upside down into the storage area and cause problems, Samsung said in a statement. The large screen Note series comes with a stylus that helps users take notes or draw pictures more precisely than with their fingertips.

“If you insert the pen in the opposite direction into the Note 5 slot and put force to get it out, it could damage the S pen and the device resulting in malfunctioning,” Samsung said in an e-mail. “That doesn’t mean that it’s a defective product.”

Some users complained about the issue on Twitter under the hashtag PenGate. Samsung is counting on the Note 5 and the curved-screen Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to help its products stand out from Apple and hundreds of vendors selling smartphones using Google’s Android software.

Samsung said the Note 5 manual already warns of potential misuse, and users can get their devices repaired at a local service center.

The Suwon, South Korea-based company released the devices this month to get ahead of the next iteration of Apple’s iPhones. They debuted after lacklustre sales of the premium Galaxy S6 prompted the company to cut prices.

Samsung fell 1.1 per cent today to 1,067,000 won (S$1,259) in Seoul, widening its decline for the year to 20 per cent. BLOOMBERG

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