(Opinion) Soft keys vs Physical keys?

[yosteve]

I like soft keys, but really they should be programmable and removable.

 

[gregs1213]

It depends how you look it..

Imagine the ONE X if it didn't have buttons and the screen went all the way down to where the buttons are and used soft keys..

I don't really care either way.. The GNex is my first smartphone.. I like it either way.

 

[bakerbert]

I believe the only reason this phone is 4.65" is because of the soft keys; 4.3 for screen and added the .35 specifically for the keys.

Love the soft keys,
With Roms like AOKP; you can toggle the keys off and on from the power menu, set long press of each key to open up apps/shortcuts, change the number of keys displayed on screen and what they do/open.

When you have a costume ROM you can truly unlock the potential of the soft keys

 

[Tribes11]

The hardware keys are superior, in many ways, except for customization of course.

However, I have a GNex and I really, REALLY miss them. I wish I had a hardware keys option for GNex because I miss them a lot.

Let me point out why. It's simple, picture this, you pick up your phone and you want to make a phone call, that's why we have it right? Well, you are with the phone in the normal position, assuming you're right handed like me, you're going to pick it up with your right-hand, well, you do this, and immediately hold your PHONE in the normal way, not landscaped of course, but you are on Galaxy Nexus, and you need to CHANGE your hand to CLICK on the power button to show your LOCKSCREEN and be able unlock it to select Phone and dial... If it was a Galaxy SIII for example, all you had to do, was press hardware HOME button (which is in the middle of the phone and accessible both to your right hand and left hand easily) unlock the screen and dial (or even better, unlock the screen isn't even needed if you have the Phone app on Dock which are copied to your Lockscreen)...

So, tell me, WHY is the softkeys so good? Customization? How about usability, when the Home button on phones also works as a Wake up for lockscreen? If I were capable of leaving the Home softkey button at a opacity of 20% or less always on in my GNex even with screen locked I would really appreciate it, but in pocket it may bang and click accidentaly on it and wake the screen unwanted. Also, there's another thing to mention, less screen space, and of course accidentaly press on softkeys, that, above all things are the most annoying, and they happen, believe me.

 

[Jaredshoes]

I love the HTC hardware buttons, it gives you more screen and I personally think they look better than the gnex's software keys.
As long as they program the mulitask button to be both a menu and multitask button (For example press for menu and long press for multitask (which I think they do already) ) They're perfect for me

 

[bakerbert]

I don't agree that physical keys give you more screen room.
If you have hard keys you sacrafice space on your phone that could be used for a bigger screen.
Soft-keys are able to be hidden by apps allowing full use of the screen, not wasting any space (on screen or on your phone in general)

If the Gnex had hard keys, it would be a 4.3 inch screen to make room to add hard-keys.
another example would be; imagine the usable screen size if the GS3 had softkeys, they could have bumped up the size of the screen to 5" or slightly more.
giving you a bigger screen with some apps (video, games, ect..) and the same size screen when you have the softkeys showing.

 

[sfrrr]

I like hardware keys because I don't have to watch what I'm hitting; I can do it by feel.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Android Central Forums

 

[zero neck]

soft keys where it at.

 

[LegalAmerican]

Physical keys are much better, as long as there isn't actual buttons. I don't mind the home button on my S3, but I love that you can't even see the physical keys when the back lights turn off. Soft keys make the screen appear smaller. If my phones footprint is going to be as big as it is, i want as much screen as possible.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

 

[orlanka]

I'm a bit torn on this one. I do like how the soft keys give it a cleaner look but as long as we have a bezel, I like the way that HTC uses it for their keys. The one home button approach is not the way to go though.

 

[ConTejas]

Soft keys are the future and have been since touch screens were first released. Now, for the opinion part. I'd venture to say anyone that prefers hard keys never really used a device with soft keys to any length of time. Even stock plenty of apps use the full screen and only show them once you press the screen or otherwise need them. If you're a fan of custom roms etc. it's not even a remotely close comparison. The advantages of soft keys really shine. I can change the size, quantity, layout, colors of the keys and/or background, the design and length of the glow when pressed, style of the keys themselves (dozens or hundreds of designs and/or fonts), dozens of long press commands, swipe up targets, vibrations, and even hide them entirely for fulltime full screen and keys shown in the power menu. The options are nearly endless....because it's software. If you're a believer that all or most things being equal that software > hardware the choice is obvious. I'm pretty confident that Google believe software > hardware which is why you'll continue to see soft keys on Nexi devices.

 

[shaytoon21]

soft keys ftw.

makes the phone look sleeker/cooler/futuristic and for people who dont know what the phone is, they just look at it thinking what do i press?? what do i do??
as far as screen size, i agree with half the people, it doesnt matter anymore, screens are so large that no one in their right mind should complain "omg i lost .058415 inches of screen".
4 inches is the minimal nowadays

"tanks to teknology"

 

[kca2000]

soft keys ftw.

makes the phone look sleeker/cooler/futuristic and for people who dont know what the phone is, they just look at it thinking what do i press?? what do i do??

This! Softkeys not only add to a sleek look, But theres also something mysterious about a buttonless/all glass front end. I hand my phone to people to look at with the screen off and they are immediately like, wheres the buttons? What do i do? Never fails.

As far as softkeys taking up the screen, Most movie apps remove them when i'm watching a video, thats the only time i can say i dont want them there.