PSA: Galaxy S8's pressure sensitive home button is always active

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Even though most Android smartphone makers moved on to on-screen navigation buttons, Samsung was reluctant in doing so because a physical home button was a part of its smartphone design philosophy for years. Now that the company has finally moved to on-screen buttons with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, it did so better than its competitors.

The on-screen home button on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ is pressure sensitive, and it’s always active. No matter what you’re doing on these smartphones, the home button is always active (unless the phones are switched off, of course). You can hard press the home button from any screen to go back to the home screen (or to wake up the phone if it’s locked).

Samsung certainly didn’t want to put off its long-time loyal users by switching to a run-of-the-mill on-screen button, and making it pressure sensitive that’s always active was a great way to make sure that Galaxy S8 users don’t miss the good old physical home button. Would other brands switch to pressure sensitive on-screen buttons as well?

Asif Iqbal Shaik - Senior Editor

[email protected]

First Samsung device: T100

Asif is a computer engineer turned technology journalist. He has been using Samsung phones since 2004, and his current smartphone is the Galaxy S21 Ultra. He loves headphones, mechanical keyboards, and PC hardware. When not writing about technology, he likes watching crime and science fiction movies and TV shows.

Phone Galaxy S8 Plus Samsung Galaxy S8

PSA: Galaxy S8's pressure sensitive home button is always active

Asif Iqbal Shaik - Senior Editor

[email protected]

First Samsung device: T100

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