Samsung may have equipped the latest Galaxy S7 and S7 edge devices with a premium metal build and a water-resistant material, but it apparently missed one detail that is now at the center of a wave of complaints.
Users have been reporting that the home button of their devices seems to be prone to heavy scratches, while the rest of the handset's body remained intact and in good condition.
The issue was also discussed in detail by the folks at Phone Arena. According to the publication, the home button on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge devices which they have been using in the office is all covered in scratches. What makes it even more peculiar is the fact that the devices were used in cases at all times, and have never been subjected to any form of physical abuse.
The report was even supported with some photos which show the notable damages sustained on the home button of the S7 and the S7 edge devices.
Some users even said that their handsets came with a scratched home button out of the box.
Despite the damage, it doesn't seem like it has any effect on the performance of the fingerprint scanner, which can be accessed via the same home button. However, it may be quite annoying for some users to find that their $800 handset already bears some scratches. It's even more annoying for those who claim that they've always handled their devices with the best of care and made sure that their devices have never endured any accidental drops.
It's not clear whether Samsung used a specific type of material to protect (or not protect) the home button of its devices. The issue doesn't seem to be isolated to the latest flagships since it also seemed to have affected the company's flagship last year. The same scratches were reportedly seen on the Galaxy Note 5 which, unlike the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, started to appear several months later.
For comparison's sake, devices from other OEMs with fingerprint scanners that are embedded in the home button were also evaluated. These include iPhones, Huawei P9, LG G5, and the latest HTC 10. So far, none of these devices showed the same scratch-prone issues that were found on the home button of Samsung's latest flagships.
