Alleged Galaxy S8 case schematics reiterate a dedicated Bixby button, slimmer bezels
Unsurprisingly, there are more rumors about the Galaxy S8's eventual Bixby virtual assistant with artificial intelligence, than there are for the phone's hardware prowess. After all, everyone is betting big on AI, and Samsung doesn't want to get left behind the Google Assistants, Cortanas, Alexas, or Siris of this world.
That is why it acquired Viv, and, from the looks of it, may even tailor the chassis hardware to accommodate Bixby better by introducing a dedicated button for launching the digital assistant, according to the Wall Street Journal back in November. At the time, the Journal claimed that Samsung is sold on the idea to have a physical button on the S8, with the sole purpose of starting the Bixby butler, and there are such prototypes lying around in the lab. The idea may have crystallized further, as we were just sent a couple of purported Galaxy S8 case schematics by UK retailer Mobile Fun, which depict a fourth button on the side of the phone instead of the usual three.
This is certainly a good idea for those moments you don't want to shout at your phone in the metro car looking like a douche, but then you'd still have to talk to it in public, so we'll see how this AI push pans out in the end for the user. In any case, these renders reiterate some of those we have seen so far, but, given that a lot of the leaked case maker schematics are based on some serious guesswork, who knows what Samsung will reveal in the end. There is one common theme in all these renders, though - the minimal top and bottom bezel amount which should make for some excellent screen-to-body ratio numbers.
Thanks for the tip, Laura!
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