The front of the Galaxy S8/S8+ is virtually all display and Samsung has replaced the traditional home button for an always-on virtual key. Even when the screen is off, the home button is always visible which you can press to wake/unlock.
On most displays, there’s always a problem of screen burn-in where you’ll get a visible ghost image or discolouration as a result of showing a static object for too long. To prevent its virtual home button from damaging its gorgeous Infinity Display, Samsung has implemented a tiny but functional feature which is rather interesting.
As tested by GalaxyClub.NL, the home button will periodically shift in position to avoid itself from burning in. You can think of it as a traditional screen saver but it is barely noticeable since it moves by a few pixels at a time.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has done this as they have implemented the same shifting feature with its Always-on display that was introduced with the Galaxy S7/S7 edge. If you leave it idle long enough, you’ll notice that the clock and your notifications will shift in position around the screen to prevent itself from leaving a permanent burn-in of the clock on its AMOLED display.
Samsung Netherlands have confirmed this in a tweet and they added that the home button will also fade-in and out slowly to reduce burn-in.
In case you missed it, check out our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
