Reliable tipster Evan Blass previously reported that Samsung will be officially unveiling its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, at an Unpacked event in New York City on March 29.
Blass also revealed several other details regarding the highly anticipated device, including the $853 price tag for the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8, the $960 price tag for the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus, the retention of the headphone jack which Apple famously removed from the iPhone 7, and 4 GB of RAM with Android 7.0 Nougat right out of the box.
Between all the leaks and rumors of the Galaxy S8, including the presence of Samsung's new Bixby virtual assistant, it is shaping up to be a very powerful and well-designed smartphone that might allow consumers to forget the Galaxy Note 7 debacle that Samsung suffered through over the last year. However, there are already two problems that can be pointed out for the Galaxy S8, which means that it will still not be the perfect smartphone.
Galaxy S8 Problem #1: The Location Of The Fingerprint Scanner
In the image that Blass leaked for the Galaxy S8, it can be seen that there will no longer be a home button on the front of the device. However, instead of placing the fingerprint sensor beneath the Galaxy S8 screen, the component was instead placed at the back of the smartphone.
The problem is not the fact that the fingerprint sensor was placed at the back of the Galaxy S8, but rather its position. Instead of placing the component in a spot that is easily reachable, the fingerprint scanner is placed near the top of the device's back, which will require users to extend their finger across the width of the smartphone. In addition, because it is located near the rear camera, users might always inadvertently touch the camera lens, causing smudges that will always be needed to be wiped off.
Galaxy S8 Problem #2: Hard-coded Samsung Branding?
The second possible problem for the Galaxy S8 was stated by Blass through a tweet, but at this point, it is hard to determine if the tipster is serious about the information or if he is merely joking.
According to Blass, the top one-fourth inch of the display of the Galaxy S8 will be hard-coded to display Samsung branding, which will replace the lettering often placed in the bezels of the device. With the bezel of the Galaxy S8 mostly gone, it seems that Samsung will be making the lettering of its branding on the smartphone digital.
If this is true, then this would run counter to the whole point of eliminating the bezels at the front of the Galaxy S8 to expand the smartphone's screen. Samsung branding located permanently at the top of the device's display might not take up that much of space, but it will be significant enough for users who are expecting to have the entire screen available to them.
Again, this information from Blass could very well be a joke. Hopefully, it is, as hard-coded Samsung branding on the Galaxy S8 display might turn off a significant number of users from purchasing the smartphone.
