There is a fantastic choice of smartphones on the market right now from various manufacturers but while sometimes choice is a positive thing, it can also lead to confusion. This can be the case with navigation buttons and the differences can be a little bewildering to the average consumer. We’re taking a look at Android Touchscreen vs. Physical navigation in a bid to clear this up a little and also want to hear your preferences.

Plenty of phones these days have on-screen or physical navigation buttons or even a mixture of both. The Samsung Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2 for example both use physical buttons such as the main menu button at the bottom of the device and then also use touch navigation with on-screen buttons.

Using menu buttons and volume controls can differ on the same device. For example volume control often comes in the form of physical volume rockers but can sometimes also be controlled using the touchscreen and we find that the sheer variety of different navigation methods can sometimes be a tad overwhelming.

Differing manufacturers often show differing preferences so that some tend to stick to physical buttons with hardware menu and back buttons, while others favor on-screen or software navigation buttons and many consumers who have used a certain device brand sometimes have difficulty adjusting to different navigation methods. This is something we’d like to ask readers about.

We wonder what readers would feel if the navigation method on their favorite device changed? For example if you had purchased subsequent models of Samsung’s Galaxy S series or Apple iPhones and the navigation methods changed completely, would this be enough to make you look at a different device? Maybe you think you can easily get used to using a different method or perhaps you have a definite preference of touchscreen or physical navigation? Send your comments to let us know.