S-Pen - why still on same edge as USB port?

[dakeb]

Having the s-pen on the bottom corner means we still have the problem that you cannot remove the pen when the device is sitting in a dock. It would be better to have it on the top corner.

Also, on the Note 1 I could never find the pen button, it needed some sort of depression so you could actually locate it with your finger. Have they fixed that on the Note 3?

Another pen concern is if it is easier to remove (by a bit more protruding for example) the pen will get lost as the seam of your pocket will remove it as you take your phone out. I even lost a Note 1 pen this way.

 

[Haalcyon]

Design is a compromise. I'm sure there were solid reasons for the design choices made.

 

[Cary Quinn]

Having the s-pen on the bottom corner means we still have the problem that you cannot remove the pen when the device is sitting in a dock. It would be better to have it on the top corner.

I Think that, on most smartphones, the majority of the processing, memory, and other hardware is built in the "top" section of the phone. The pen placement was probably considered a minor design aesthetic when the Note 1 was introduced, that has carried over due to other design changes taking priority.
I remember some past devices that has the stylus port along the side or top of the device from the initial design. It might be a good suggestion to Samsung for a future version of the phone to survey the desire for a different position to remove the pen from. I'd rather see a dock option that allows the device to be used in landscape mode as well as portrait.

Also, on the Note 1 I could never find the pen button, it needed some sort of depression so you could actually locate it with your finger. Have they fixed that on the Note 3?

As far as I can see, the Note 2 and Note 3 buttons both have ridges on the button to make them easier to feel.

Another pen concern is if it is easier to remove (by a bit more protruding for example) the pen will get lost as the seam of your pocket will remove it as you take your phone out. I even lost a Note 1 pen this way.

The Note 3 has an option to alert the user if the S-Pen is moved to far away from the phone, probably for just the kinds of situations you describe.