I'm getting to like the on-screen buttons. They don't seem to be part of the same LCD sometimes. One thing is for sure: they won't get "sticky" over time. They won't be a magnet for that one drop of splashed coffee, milk, whatever. And they can change position or appearance.Yeah, I've actually come to loathe physical home screen buttons. I never noticed this until Cynics pointed it out, but the fact that you have to apply pressure to depress the button (whereas with the on-screen keys, you just have to tap lightly) makes it feel cumbersome and slow, especially when you're lying down. Not to mention, there's no such thing as the home button failing.
Funnily, when Google first introduced the on screen keys, I was very skeptical of it, overly concerned with whether it'll lag or be unresponsive. It's worked 100% of the time (as do the back and app-switcher screen buttons).
I find it sad that Samsung is sticking with the physical buttons. They used to be capacitive (US versions, anyway). Some things you don't copy from Apple.
I was, and to an extent still am, concerned that they are taking away screen real-estate. The only thing that seems to hide them on the stock OS are videos. They, or their space, is even there during photo slide-shows. I had hoped they would hide more frequently, such as during games--perhaps as an option.
I did install Hide Bar that will hide them. But it is not an ideal solution. It is nice though to play a game using the whole screen. Ditto for browsing the web and/or other apps where the bigger the screen the better.
Michael