Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy A9 today. Like many of its premium devices, it too has a dedicated Bixby key. The qualm that a lot of users have had with this key is that it doesn't do much to prevent accidental presses. It's even more irksome on the Galaxy Note 9 which has softer buttons. It doesn't help that the handset doesn't allow Bixby to be permanently disabled. However, Samsung has tried to find a middle ground by requiring two quick presses of the button for Bixby on the Note 9.
Galaxy A9's dedicated Bixby key won't be too much of an annoyance
The company appears to have looked at this problem from a hardware standpoint on the Galaxy A9. The volume and power buttons are on the right side so the Bixby key gets the left side to itself. The key is placed high up the frame as a result, thanks to the space left behind by the volume buttons. It's higher than where a user would normally place their thumb when using the device.
I mentioned in my Galaxy A9 hands-on that this is a good design decision that Samsung has made. The dedicated Bixby key doesn't get in the way and it would be difficult to accidentally press it during normal usage. It's always there for those who really need it and there will be many who will rely on Bixby. The Galaxy A9 gets the full Bixby experience after all.
Hopefully, Samsung will stick with this going forward, for the sake of consistency and keeping its users sane. Fingers crossed.
