The Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest cross between a smartphone and tablet PC, could break down if a user mistakenly inserts the pen in the wrong direction, industry sources said Wednesday.

Industry tracker Android Police said the S pen that comes with the Galaxy Note 5 was "just as easy" to be slid inside backwards as the right way. Once the pen is inserted in the other direction, it gets stuck and causes the tablet's features to malfunction.

Samsung's previous phablets were designed to prevent users from making such a mistake, making it complicated for the pen to be inserted backwards unless done so forcibly, it added.

"And you will try to get it out -- and most likely, you'll succeed. The problem is that if you do succeed, there's a very real possibility you'll break whatever mechanism the device uses to detect whether the pen is attached or detached from the phone," Android Police added.

The Galaxy Note 5's user's manual warns of possible malfunctions that can be caused by inserting the pen in the wrong direction.

"The addition of the warning for the Note 5 strongly suggests Samsung was aware of the design flaw and specifically chose not to correct it leading up to the launch of the device, instead relying on a small instructional disclaimer," Android Police added.

Released earlier this month, the Galaxy Note 5 comes with a super active mode organic light-emitting diode (SAMOLED) QHD 5.7-inch display. It also boasts two high-performance cameras -- one 16 megapixels, the other 5 megapixels -- along with a 64-bit octa-core processor and 4GB RAM.

Samsung Electronics has been seeking to revitalize its ailing handset business through the phablet lineup, releasing the device earlier than usual, apparently as its rival, Apple Inc., is set to showcase the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus next month. (Yonhap)