Samsung Says Gap In Design Of Galaxy Note 4 Is A Feature, Not A Flaw

No one jumped on Apple Inc.'s "bendgate" fiasco as quickly or gleefully as Samsung Group, which released a humorous ad "bend to those who are worthy," depicting an iPhone 6 handset kneeling to a Galaxy Note 3.

But that schadenfreude was short-lived because Samsung is dealing with a design issue of its own, "gapgate."

As the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 hits the market in China and South Korea, early adopters are noting what some are calling a design defect: a thin gap between the screen and the walls of the case on all sides that was wide enough to fit two pieces of paper or a business card. The issue quickly began trending as “gapgate."

Naturally, Samsung is saying "gapgate" isn't an issue at all -- that the space between screen and case is a feature, not a flaw of the Galaxy Note 4. The Korean manufacturer released a statement detailing that the gaps on the Galaxy Note 4 “does not impact the functionality or quality” of the device, and ensuring that “all Galaxy Note 4 units meet strict manufacturing and quality control standards.”

Additionally, the user manual for the Galaxy Note 4 indicates that the gaps serves a purpose, stating, “this gap is a necessary manufacturing feature and some minor rocking or vibration of parts may occur.”

This has not stopped amused smartphone enthusiasts from taking some shots at Samsung with the hashtags #gapgate and #imindthegap on Twitter. Many are a bit skeptical at the idea that this is a “feature” of the Galaxy Note 4; however, many Galaxy users have noted that this is a common design aspect that has been on several models.

In addition to tweets demonstrating that the Samsung Galaxy S5 can also hold a business card in between its screen and outer wall, it has been noted that the both the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 2 both address gaps in design in their user manuals.

It all begs the question: would anyone have noticed "GapGate" if not for the "BendGate" that preceeded it?

The device, perhaps the strongest competitor to Apple's iPhone 6 Plus, will launch globally on Oct. 17 and will be available to over 140 countries by early November. In the U.S., the Galaxy Note 4 is available for pre-order on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.