Over the past few months, Samsung fans have been treated to an overdose of leaks related to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. They’ve become so frequent that a new photo seemingly pops up every few days. Unless you’ve avoided using the internet in 2017, chances are you know (almost) exactly what Samsung will unveil at its March 29 event.
Which is great news, because it means you can start saving for the device well ahead of its rumored April release. These past few months has seen a lull in new smartphone releases, but your patience is about to be rewarded.
Normally, leaks—especially ones that occur so often—can become tiresome, annoying even. It sucks when the surprise is spoiled. But after last year’s Note 7 debacle, Samsung fans have been understandably chomping at the bit for every new morsel of information.
So, it’s been a treat to see specs, renders, and images of the devices before they’ve been officially unveiled. Based on what we’ve seen, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will be the market’s top Android devices, without question, a return to form for the Korean company, which has endured a miserable past few months.
But there’s something already nagging me about Samsung’s upcoming flagship, something I know is going to annoy the crap out of people everywhere. For some inexplicable reason, Samsung has decided the best placement for the Galaxy S8’s fingerprint sensor is right beside the camera.
For previous Galaxy owners, the adjustment to a rear fingerprint sensor will be jarring enough. The Korean company has long placed a home button/fingerprint sensor beneath the display. But with bezels becoming a thing of the past, Samsung needs to adapt.
Unfortunately, the company is going about it the wrong way. Maybe Samsung feels the placement is convenient. Maybe engineering challenges forced the company to compromise with that location. Whatever the case, placing it next to the camera just seems like poor design. Smudges on your lens are about to become your worst nightmare. In fact, I can already imagine the complaints from future Galaxy S8 owners.
Now, I haven’t used the device, so I can’t say with certainty if the placement will really cause any headaches. It may be something users get used to very quickly. But, at first glance, it doesn’t appear to be the most sensible location. Not when you can put it under the camera, on the side of the device, or even under the display.
The Galaxy S8 is shaping up to be one hell of a device, something Samsung fans deserve after the Note 7 recall. But—and we hate to be party poopers—the placement of the fingerprint sensor has us slightly less enthusiastic.
There’s no arguing Samsung’s portfolio features some of the industry’s most elegant mobile designs. The Galaxy S8 looks like another feather in the company’s cap. Sadly, users may have to deal with the unfortunate placement of the fingerprint sensor, which means the S8 might not be the perfect phone we were hoping for.
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