The feature that would have put Samsung's mobile fingerprint scanning to the next level is not debuting in next year's Galaxy S9 series, if the latest report is to be believed. Plans of integrating the sensor under the device's display has reportedly been aborted as the tech giant failed to get it ready for mass production in time for the flagship's release.
Samsung has long been working on the feature. At one point, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was rumored to introduce the in-display fingerprint scanner and then the Galaxy Note 8, but that obviously did not pan out. Following the feature's exclusion from the flagships this year, patrons have been expecting to finally see it in 2018's Galaxy S9 lineup, but a report from ET News says it will not happen again.
Citing industry sources, the usually reliable Korean publication claims that the fingerprint scanner will be mounted on the back of the phone instead. It is said to be a brand-new sensor, which will be supplied by a Taiwanese company. The final contract has not been signed yet, but it should reportedly happen soon.
The report does not indicate the scanner's positioning, but leaked renders of S9 previously revealed it lies in a more sensible spot this time, just beneath the vertical dual-lens camera module.
ET News also notes Galaxy S9 will arrive with iris scanning technology, but makes no mention of a 3D facial recognition system that would compete with Apple's Face ID camera. Instead, the publication posits the phone will have a regular camera and an iris recognition camera on the front.
Furthermore, it reaffirms previous claims that Samsung is on track to reveal the device earlier than the usual with mass production set to commence in January.
Then again, nothing is official just yet so the claims are best taken with a grain of salt. ET News does have a solid track record in predicting Samsung plans correctly. It accurately reported the Galaxy S8's launch details a month before its unveiling this year.
