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Are you missing the mechanical home button on the Samsung Galaxy S8?

By Preslav Kateliev

Published: May 25, 2017, 9:01 AM

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Are you missing the mechanical home button on the Samsung Galaxy S8?

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are fresh new beasts, with lo-o-ong displays and super slim bezels. The design might be breathtaking, but it has its limitations. Among them, we have the lack of room for a physical home button, which has — for ages — been located on every Samsung phone's chin, neighbored by capacitive “Recents” and “Back” buttons.

The new Sammy flagships have virtual navigation keys, like Google's Pixels and LG's phones. With that, we at least get the advantage of being able to (finally) arrange the “Back” and “Recent” placements to how we prefer them, which instantly puts an end to the gripes many have with Samsung's “reverse placement” of those buttons. But we've lost that signature, clicky home button and the backlit capacitive keys, which will certainly be missed by many.

Fingerprint scanner position aside, let's talk about the physical vs virtual nav buttons. Which side of the fence are you on?

Do you miss the mechanical home and capacitive buttons on the Galaxy S8 / S8+?

Absolutely. Mechanical click and backlit buttons are where it's at!

28.91%

I'm fine either way

26.31%

I much prefer the new, virtual style

44.78%

1927 Votes

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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.

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