Samsung keeps “Home” button on Galaxy S3 at the last moment, opts for 5 column Note like UX

Staska  By on 10 Apr 12

Tired of all those Samsung Galaxy S3 rumors? Sorry, but there’s no help for it.

By not announcing its next generation flagship at Mobile World Congress, and managing to keep the real designs from leaking even during the carrier testing phase, Samsung made a smart bet, that is paying off handsomely. The frenzy and speculation about Galaxy S3 are now reaching iPhonesque proportions. And if those pre-order numbers are correct – the actual sales of the device will be huge, too.

So here’s the latest batch of rumors about what’s happening with Samsung Galaxy S3.

According to Korean Digital Daily, at the last moment Samsung has decided to keep the physical “Home” button on S3. And it will now go with a 5 column Note like UI layout, compared to the 4 columns we have on Galaxy Nexus and other Android flagships.

The “Home” button issue, apparently, was hotly deliberated and contested inside Samsung. Some wanted to go with a completely buttonless Galaxy Nexus like design, others fought for a single big “Home” button like on Galaxy Note. It was almost a draw but, at the very last moment before the phone went into production – the “Home” button camp prevailed.

Oh – and about keeping the Galaxy S3 design secret for so long, even while the phone is undergoing carrier tests? This ET News article seems to shed some light on how they managed to do that.

It seems that Samsung supplied each carrier with a single rectangular box, with all the S3 software&electronics inside, and accessible for testing. But made it so, that carriers had no way to see the exterior design.

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  • Anonymous

    If this is true, I pray that the US carriers step in and demand on screen buttons in the place of these stupid outdated hardware buttons.

    Why do the OEMs insist on these things?

    Google is trying their damnedest to distance themselves from the iPhone and they don’t seem to get the hint. Do they not realize that soon Apple will do away with the physical button?

    If and when Apple does this, people will wrongly assume that this is something Apple came up with despite the Galaxy Nexus paving the path.

    On screen soft keys were developed for a reason and as long as these stupid OEMs refuse to change Android is going to continue to be consider second best no matter how great it truly is.

  • Vzx_41

    I personally like the home button. My thing is if it works don’t fix it. I didn’t care for the nexus in IMO so having the home button is a plus for me

  • Andrew

    I hope this NEVER happens. Humans need physical control, and going button-less is extremely stupid.

    Having a lot of buttons for a touch screen phone may not be necessary, but we definitely need at least 1. I’m tired of having to guess where I’m pressing in order to execute a task.

  • Anonymous

    I dont get what you mean.

    We use touchscreen phones with little to no problems, why keep the capacitive buttons? Or physical ones?

  • Changki Jo

    I actually own Galaxy Nexus and having 2 months of use, I would prefer an alternative to no physical button.  Reason being I have been watching movies or doing something and so many times I have accidently swiped my finger over home button to be landed on home page.

  • http://www.batteries-company.com/ batteriescompany

    Lovein 
    Galaxy Nexus

  • http://www.mrmad.net/ mrmad

    Regarding the Galaxy Nexus: I might be the only one but I liked the lack of a home button in terms of design and never experienced any problems at all. Older smartphones used to have a lot of physical buttons, do you miss them today?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/E67DWI3LGVGTUH2PAENJVTN5PQ Rok Cvelbar

    Pleeeeease NO butons! You’re killing the beautiful design of the phone, plus we all wan’t a nexus experience, not touch wiz. If this happens, I’m switching to HTC One x for sure. A soft glowy capacitive home button would be acceptable though, but please do not integrate the squeeky plastic button again…BIG thanx from a huge Euro Samsung fan.

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