The 2018 flagship devices of Samsung, the Galaxy S8 smartphones and Galaxy Note 8 phablet, have proven to be big hits in the market today. Their top-end hardware specs and features could not be easily matched by other flagships of rival handset makers. However, some users have been complaining about the awkward new position of the fingerprint reader at the rear portion, and based on the rumors, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and Note 9 will fix this issue by introducing an in-display biometric reader.
As reported by The Verge, the mass production of the first-ever optical in-display fingerprint sensors has finally commenced. The company behind this breakthrough in the smartphone industry is no other than Synaptics, which is known to be a long-time partner of several laptop and smartphone creators to supply the screen panels. This new technology embedding the fingerprint sensor right under the screen is initially called Clear ID.
The in-display fingerprint reader, expected to arrive in the 2018 flagship handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Note 9, will operate just like the usual fingerprint sensors embedded in the physical home button. With the new technology, however, the optical in-display sensors can scan the user's fingerprint by just pressing anywhere on the actual touchscreen display.
To note, Synaptics had been involved in delivering the touchscreen panels for the flagships before the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Apple's iPhone X this year. However, the company was supposed to work with the South Korean tech giant after they announced the FS9100 optical in-display fingerprint sensor, which Samsung intended to use for the 2017 Galaxy S series smartphones. Unfortunately, Synaptics encountered a few problems that prevented it from implementing the in-display technology, forcing Samsung to make a last-minute change with the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 design. Thus, instead of a biometric sensor right under the display, the reader was transferred to the back.
For now, it is still uncertain if Synaptics' latest in-display fingerprint reader will make it to the Samsung Galaxy S9, which is expected to launch as early as January 2018. The production stage of the smartphone began in October this year, several weeks before Synaptics announced its first optical biometric reader. Also, The Investor suggested that Samsung has already given up on including an in-display sensor to the Galaxy S9. Instead, the Galaxy Note 9 will be the first device from Samsung to boast this technology.
Concept renders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 also shows the possible in-display fingerprint reader, increasing the expectations for the 2018 premium phablet. It is expected that Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note 9 in August or September next year.
