Samsung needed consumer feedback to realize Galaxy S8 fingerprint placement was a mess
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ bring a slew of new features to the table and also make improvements to what Samsung started with the Galaxy S8 and S8+. One major area of improvement over the S8 duo is the placement of the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Like the Galaxy A8 (2018), the S9 and S9+ have the fingerprint sensor located below the camera sensor. Still a tad too high for convenient access, but it’s a far cry from the ergonomic nightmare that was the fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S8 and, later on, the Galaxy Note 8. Samsung was quick to point out the more logical fingerprint sensor placement on-stage when it was announcing the Galaxy S9, but the company’s words made it seem like it needed the consumers to tell it what was wrong in the first place.
Consumer feedback? How about improved in-house testing?
Sure, consumer feedback is what drives the smartphone industry – or any industry, for that matter – forward, but I find it silly that Samsung had the guts to say that it listened carefully to our feedback and moved the sensor “directly below the camera, where it’s even easier to reach.” Well, the statement followed what can be considered a minor jab at Apple for removing the fingerprint sensor with the iPhone X, but why is it that Samsung didn’t realize the fingerprint sensor’s location was out of whack on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ when the handsets were undergoing internal testing during the development process?
Yes, design and time limitations may have been to blame for the awkward placement, but the Galaxy Note 8 didn’t change anything, either. And I’m perfectly fine with that, at least if Samsung really did run into obstacles trying to put the fingerprint sensor below the camera on the S8 and Note 8. But I’m not down with the fact that the company has never owned up to the real reasons behind why it messed up. Instead, all we got was a marketing statement to show that Samsung cares about consumer feedback, and while the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are all the better for it, I’m not sure sweeping one of the company’s biggest design mistakes under the rug this way is the right thing to do.
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Slowly but surely they are losing ground, they must speed up their game and fast
Its like all refined models always fixes up previous flagship issues. Always a pattern there!
I have never found the scanner to be in the wrong place. I use my left hand to unlock and never touch the camera lens while doing so.
I slide my finger quickly towards the scanner.
It is true that I hardly use my phone with one hand only so that the way I unlock is very convenient for me.
Bunch of idiots .. cannot provide latest android and makes phone after phones .. hopefully their s9 sell will definitely decrease
Still stuck with Android 7.0 for my current S8 handset lol.
If they needed consumer feedback for the fingerprint scanner location they must have lost their minds.
If customer feedback is what drives them then they should have bixby button re-mappable.
Ok, I have the Note8 but have big hands so can easily reach the scanner, which I use very rarely anyway as Gear S3 keeps it unlocked and I use the iris scanner more. However it doesn’t take customer feedback to know that the scanner wasn’t in the ideal position. I think the original plan was no scanner and an on screen fingerprint reader but the tech wasn’t ready. Probably the reason iPhone X didn’t get one either. However it’s a huge overstatement to say it’s one of the biggest design mistakes ever. Get a grip man!! The Notch and… Read more »
Yeah, its like they deliberately mess up one year – just so the next they can say they listen to customers when they’re not. for as long as I can remember we’ve been saying less devices, and more efficient software updates. But they’re ignoring those request. instead they deliberately made a weird FPS placement (which I honestly got used to quickly) just so they can “Listen to customers” and correct it this year. They did it with the S6s and the removal of the SD Card and IP resistance – only to bring both back on the S7s and claim… Read more »
If only they did the same with their software, it’s freaking March 2018 and I’m still waiting for Android 8.0 on my $1000 Galaxy Note 8 that’s just ridiculous for such huge company.
That is what i do criticise also. I thought also that the N8 is a flagship but maybe the N8 Owner are wrong
I feel you bro since I own the note too. but is Oreo really this important to let it ruin your user experience. I mean eventually it will come, but I don’t see a huge increase in the phone usability and functionality afterwords.
The new OS always comes with under the hood more securely build framework and event calls. So even though there won’t much to see on the UI the the underlying improvements are important, especially when we pay so much for these devices.
In my opinion the security patches are important. We have almost march and the bring February Patch for one Firmware only. And as said Oreo has improvements under the hood. Beside there is not much difference between S8 and Note 8 from technic so it cant be so difficult to port it over
I find the current scanner (s8) more convinient than any phone that has a scanner at the back side.
Maybe cause I have a relatively large hand, but the placement of the my note 8 FB is absolutely fine and convenient. I tried to mimic having the FB in the proposed place and the phone was slipping of my hand.
In parallel, I would love to have the fb back on the front implemented under the screen
Fingerprint under the Display on the front would be the dealbreaker and i would pre order
Please post more photos! They look nice!
Very well written. It sounds more like a smoke grenade from Samsung. Why other brands are able to build a phone with fingerprint scanner under the Display ? Till recently i thought Samsung has the competence to solve it properly. It seems they focus just on making money and forget about the customers after selling their phones. Samsung builds still good phones but other brands catching up fast for a better price and better aftersell service. I look at the moment forward to the Note 9 if that one will get the fingerprint under the display. If not then it… Read more »