Physical vs Capacitive Home Buttons

[ReanimationN]

It really boggles my mind as how one button is more intuitive than another.


Anyway buttons seem a bit prone to wear and tear. My personal preference would be the way my N9 works. Double tap on the screen to wake up.

There's just no reaching, the button is right there, where your thumb rests. You don't have to reach over, or to the top of the device. To me, it just feels right.

That system on the N9 sounds ideal though, that would be even better.

Abhorrent, really??

But my iPhone home button craps out every now and then. Pretty irritating. I wouldn't miss it at all.

Yeah, I really don't like capacitive buttons- other people don't mind them though, which tells me I could get used to them if I wanted to.

I don't understand why iPhone buttons die so often. I've had a 3GS replaced for a dud button, yet my SNES, N64, Dreamcast etc. controller buttons have all held up perfectly after decades of use (the N64 control sticks are an entirely different story ).

 

[cwwilson]

I think the Galaxy S3 got it right when they put in the physical home button with the capacitive buttons on each side.

 

[blackhand1001]

Capacitive. Ideally the galaxy nexus on screen buttons.

 

[Technarchy]

I've had capacitive buttons become unresponsive far too many times on my android phones.

I've never had a problem with my iPhone's physical home button.

 

[nickchallis92]

I think the Galaxy S3 got it right when they put in the physical home button with the capacitive buttons on each side.

agree. it keeps a sleek look and also allows you to turn on the screen when the phones on a table with ease

 

[Vegastouch]

I've had capacitive buttons become unresponsive far too many times on my android phones.

I've never had a problem with my iPhone's physical home button.

LOL,m dude you must just have bad luck getting phones that work well because ive never had a problem with any of my capacitive buttons and i used the same Android phone for two years. Must of used the back button a gazillion times on it.

Ive had the silence switch break on my iPhone and the home button start acting up. Both physical buttons and you have only had your phone for 5 months.

 

[vistadude]

I'd like a single capacitive home button rather than a physical button, but not 2, 3, or 4 others. I hate back buttons and find search to be pointless.

 

[matttye]

I've had capacitive buttons become unresponsive far too many times on my android phones.

I've never had a problem with my iPhone's physical home button.

I've never had any problems with either capacitive or physical buttons. I must be lucky

 

[greygray]

Prefer a physical button to a capacitive one. Somehow I just like the click it makes when i depress it.

 

[Stuntman06]

I think the Galaxy S3 got it right when they put in the physical home button with the capacitive buttons on each side.

The physical home button on the SGS3 seems out of place to me. They should have just made them all capacitive or all physical. To wake the phone, I usually press the power button on the side instead of the home button. I am used to waking with the power button because my old phone has a capacitive home button and required pressing the power button to wake.

 

[SurferMan]

LOL,m dude you must just have bad luck getting phones that work well because ive never had a problem with any of my capacitive buttons and i used the same Android phone for two years. Must of used the back button a gazillion times on it.

Ive had the silence switch break on my iPhone and the home button start acting up. Both physical buttons and you have only had your phone for 5 months.

Never even heard of that, capacitive buttons being unresponsive/failing. But I have replaced many a button on iPhones from the lock switch, silent, cable connectors. The only button that seems fine is my 3GS, home button works just like new, 4/4S is a different story, and has nothing to do with dust and other bs, mine are clean and still failed (twice on the 4 and the 4S hasn't failed but already feels a bit "iffy").

 

[anonymouslurker]

Never even heard of that, capacitive buttons being unresponsive/failing. But I have replaced many a button on iPhones from the lock switch, silent, cable connectors. The only button that seems fine is my 3GS, home button works just like new, 4/4S is a different story, and has nothing to do with dust and other bs, mine are clean and still failed (twice on the 4 and the 4S hasn't failed but already feels a bit "iffy").

Physical buttons fail, bottom line. Every mechanical moving piece in a system will eventually fail. Dust, dirt, etc. will definitely reduce the life, but even in pristine condition, mechanical things wear out.

Granted, some switches are more robust than others, with a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of several hundred thousand cycles, but something that was designed with space constraints as a priority is obviously not going to be as hardened as something larger.

Yes, even non-moving parts fail too, but a capacitive button is going to be MUCH more robust, and give MANY more cycles than a physical button.

 

[sentinelsx]

Usage wise i think the difference is minimal.

But i touch and activate the back and menu buttons on my S3 all the time on landscape orientation and that drives me nuts!

On the Sony Arc touching a button was never an issue because they were tactile, on the gnexus they were in the screen itself so they were not right on the corners.

I would take on screen or actual physical buttons over capacitive ones.