A long time ago, when the operating system Android was just beginning, every smartphone manufacturer made control on it as it was most convenient for him. Reference devices, the Nexus line, had a typical set of touch keys under the screen, and then everyone tried to stand out – Samsung has a mechanical button, HTC has a touchpad scanner and buttons to the left and right of it, and so on. And here's the thing, since the creation of the first smartphones on Android, little has changed, six years have passed, and manufacturers continue to make management the way they think is most correct. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is still no common standard.
I decided to think a little and collect all the main control methods in a smartphone based on OS Android, tell which of them seem the most convenient and inconvenient to me, and also ask what you think about this.
Classic controls are what we see in smartphones of the Nexus line, of the most relevant LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P. Despite the fact that each new 'nexus' is made by a different manufacturer, here Google protects and defends its right to dictate terms. The system is extremely simple – three on-screen touch buttons: Back, Home, Running applications. A similar control scheme is used by the Japanese Sony, Motorola, as well as in many smartphones of Chinese brands still little known in the world. The advantages of such control, in my opinion, are that it is as simple and understandable as possible, always tailored to the current version of the operating system. Cons – the lack of any settings, there are three on-screen buttons and that's it.
There is a variant with changeable on-screen touch keys, in fact this is also a classic Android scheme, but in it you can change the arrangement of the keys or even add new ones. This type of control is used in some devices LG, in YotaPhone 2, in devices with Cyanogenod, as an option. The advantages of this scheme are all the conveniences of classical control, but, at the same time, the ability to customize, add and remove keys, change their position.
The next separate type of control is the touch panel below the screen. Typical for large and medium-sized Chinese brands – Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE, Xiaomi. Most smartphones from these companies are equipped with a touchpad with three keys under the screen. The advantages of this option are that the touch panel does not take away precious screen space, these keys are backlit on almost all devices. The disadvantages typical for the classic scheme are that there are no settings in most devices, you cannot add or subtract buttons here either for obvious reasons.
One of the most popular options is a button below the screen and two keys, one to the left and one to the right of it. This option is popular because it is used by Samsung in its smartphones and, as a result, is very common. The new flagships also add a fingerprint scanner to the center key. Pros – there is a hardware button that is easier and more familiar to press; it can also 'wake up' the device without having to use the power key. Cons – to be honest, it's hard for me to name. Probably the disadvantage is that this scheme combines mechanical and touch buttons and it takes a while to get used to.
A very rare option so far, implemented in Android smartphones by the company Meizu, and even then in a couple of devices – a mechanical key with an inscribed sensor and a fingerprint scanner. The Chinese took inspiration from Apple, but they developed the idea of a single key and a scanner on it further by adding a touch panel here. It turns out a universal button that performs both the role of the Home and Back keys, and the role of a scanner, as well as replacing the power button. The advantages of this option are in its general convenience – all important actions are concentrated on one button and you can perform them as quickly as possible without moving your finger from one key to another. Minus – it takes time to get used to this scheme.
The company HTC also stands alone – at one time their smartphones had touch-sensitive onscreen keys, then touch-sensitive ones under the screen, but not three, like most manufacturers, but two (in the center there was a logo HTC. Now the devices of the Taiwanese brand have on-screen buttons and a scanner with a touch key inscribed under the display (HTC One M9 Plus, One A9). It is difficult for me to objectively describe the pros and cons of these options, because I am used to smartphones HTC and use them more often than others.
If we take all the schemes as a whole, then personally to me the closest option will be Meizu, borrowed from Apple a scheme with the development of the idea: a mechanical key under the screen with a sensor and a scanner inscribed in it. And the second most convenient, in my opinion, is the classic version with the ability to add or remove keys and change their position on the touch panel. Which option is the most convenient for you? Not because you have a smartphone with a certain type of control, and you are used to it, but in general.