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Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 leak hints at in-display fingerprint sensor

When it comes to Samsung speculation, one topic is dominating conversation this summer. Will the Galaxy Note 9 be the first device to debut the rumoured in-display fingerprint sensor? Or will the company wait until next year’s Galaxy S10 release?

Well, what if it were neither? The first leaked images of the Galaxy Tab 4 show a tablet minus a home button and minus an external fingerprint sensor.

That can only mean one of two things, right? Either Samsung is relying on Face Unlock, or the Tab 4 will arrive with the fingerprint sensor hiding away beneath the display. Both have been rumoured in the build up to launch.

Purported renders surfacing courtesy of Android Headlines may give us our first clear look at the next-gen tablet, expected to arrive before the summer is out.

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The image of the black device shows thinner bezels than the Tab S3 and any of the preceding devices. This may enable Samsung to push the display up to 10.5-inches, up from the 9.7-inch size of the Tab S3 device.

The rear of the device also features the words “Tuned by AKG,” apparently confirming the audio tech will remain present in this version of the tablet. The render is also missing the Samsung logo on top of the device, perhaps suggesting an iris scanner is now present.

The lack of a home button and fingerprint sensor doesn’t confirm Samsung is debuting the in-display fingerprint sensor within this device. Motorola’s latest Z3 Play device has shifted the fingerprint sensor to the side of the device in order to minimise the size of the bezels..

However, this isn’t a strategy Samsung has used previously and would be surprising given the Tab S4 seemingly has enough room for a front-facing fingerprint sensor.

There’s no news yet on when Samsung will launch the device, but it’s possible it could show up at the Unpacked event scheduled for August 9, where the Note 9 is expected to debut. Samsung could also save the Galaxy Tab S4 for the IFA tech show in early September.

Is an in-display fingerprint sensor the next big step for the mobile industry? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.

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