Samsung's glass and metal design is beautiful, but it has been lamented for being a huge fingerprint magnet. That's a problem that didn't go away with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, and it looks like there's another issue with the design of Samsung's newest flagship smartphones – the home button/fingerprint sensor on these devices doesn't seem to be very resistant to everyday scratches and scuffs.
It was only a couple of days ago that a few of us here at SamMobile were discussing how the home button on the Galaxy S7 edge hasn't taken long to develop noticeable wear and tear. Today, the folks over at PhoneArena are confirming what we suspected; a few people on the internet have also pointed out the scratch-prone nature of the S7 and S7 edge's fingerprint sensor, with some saying their unit came with a scratched button out of the box.
You don't need to be a heavy user for this damage (if we can call it that) to take place. Our Galaxy S7 that's barely ever used as a primary device also has these scratches, as you will see in the picture below (click on the picture to enlarge it; see those white marks on the button?) Our Galaxy S7 isn't kept upside down at any point, making it likely that whatever material is covering the home button isn't even impervious to things like the phone coming in contact with the user's fingers or the insides of their trouser pockets.
We have to note that we also noticed this with last year's flagships, although they took considerable time to start showing these scratches on the home button. The Galaxy Note 5 seemed to be the most resilient of the lot, but all these months later it didn't turn out to be totally invincible. None was as bad as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, however, so it seems Samsung's quality control for its fingerprint sensors has taken a turn for the worse this year.
Of course, it is possible this issue is limited to a few units. But that doesn't change the fact that it is an issue, one that can mar the look of what are amazingly attractive smartphones. We've reached out to Samsung for a statement on the matter and will update this story once we get a response. In the meantime, let us know if you have a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge with a scratched home button!
