Samsung’s Galaxy S9 will more than likely not come sporting an in-display fingerprint scanner, with Samsung tipped to avoid a major design shift for its next flagship.
The idea that the Galaxy S9 could have a fingerprint scanner embedded into the phone’s display rather than on a home button or the handset’s back, was first given weight by speculations that the Galaxy S8 would have such a feature.
When that turned out not to be the case, tech ponderers naturally moved on to forecast an in-display fingerprint scanner for the Galaxy S9.
And now an announcement by Synaptics, a major biometrics tech firm, that it will be working a company from the “Top 5” smartphone makers has added fuel to the fire that the Galaxy S9 will have an innovative fingerprint scanner.
“With the industry quickly shifting to bezel-free OLED infinity displays, the natural placement of the fingerprint sensor is in the display itself,” the company said, dropping a huge hint about the Galaxy S9, given the ‘infinity display’ label is Samsung’s name for its edge-to-edge curved displays.
But diehard Samsung followers SamMobile reckon this won’t be the case, noting how many other rumours point towards the Galaxy S9 having a fingerprint scanner on the rear like the Galaxy S8 and that Samsung has not appeared ready to abandon the critically-acclaimed design it established with the Galaxy S8.
Furthermore, the top 5 smartphone makers also include Apple, Oppo, Huawei and Xiaomi. The former is concentrating on its Face ID facial recognition biometrics, while Xiaomi, the tech pushing Chinese giant, could be a candidate for mixing up the deign and potion of fingerprint scanners.
And previous leaks of Galaxy S9 cases and other speculation generally point towards the Galaxy S9 simply having a few nips and tucks over its predecessor, with the Galaxy Note 9 predicted ot be a more likely candidate for an in-display fingerprint scanner.
So there’s a chance Synaptics’ press release is a neat ruse to garner attention ahead of the Galaxy S9 launch, due early 2018. As ever, we’ll reserve judgement until we see the Galaxy S9 make its proper debut.
Related: Best Android phones of 2017
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
