Samsung might be getting rid of buttons altogether. Since the Galaxy S10 lineup is out, a Galaxy Note 10 announcement is just around the corner. Naturally, rumors are beginning to surface — the latest pegs the forthcoming flagship to have no physical keys at all.
Apparently, Samsung would be replacing buttons with capacitive pads on its upcoming Galaxy Note 10 flagship.
Galaxy Note To Have No Buttons
According to a report from South Korean outlet ETNews, these capacitive keys would be on the same location on the phone's sides, right around the upper edges. If the report is true, it's safe to assume Samsung would also replace the dedicated Bixby key with a capacitive one, as the company is apparently going for a "keyless" look.
It's not just the Galaxy Note 10, either. ETNews claims Samsung is also replacing the physical keys on its mid-range Galaxy A-series with capacitive pads, and this might extend to its other lower-end lineups, as well. Not only that, the Galaxy A-series handsets will apparently receive this design update first.
The No-Button Design
Even if this is true, Samsung wouldn't be the first to pull off the no-buttons look. The Meizu Zero sports a similar aesthetic, although it's merely a concept phone and won't be sold in the market anytime soon, if at all. Given this design isn't popular yet, it's not clear how audiences would feel about not having buttons they can touch. Tactility, after all, is one of the most important elements of an interactive design, especially on consumer technology. Perhaps Samsung will add vibration effects so that whenever a capacitive key is pressed, there's the illusion of "pressing down."
Samsung also has to think about potential issues with capacitive keys, such as "ghost touches," or accidentally triggering buttons even when the user hadn't intended to. It's possible the company is also going for a "side squeeze" mechanism, as found on some HTC and Pixel phones.
Is this the end of physical keys on phones? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
