Samsung Galaxy S9 won’t feature in-display fingerprint scanner: Report

Samsung Galaxy S9 to skip an in-display fingerprint scanner, according to a new report.

Samsung will not include an optical fingerprint scanner under the screen of the Galaxy S9, according to South Korean site The Investor. Instead, the sensor will be present on the rear of the device, just like the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 smartphones.

The South Korean giant has been trying hard to add an in-display fingerprint scanner into its next-generation flagship for a while now.  Previous reports have claimed that Samsung planned to add a new type of sensor on the previous generation devices, technical issues have kept from happening.  That being said, the report said Samsung may include an in-display fingerprint scanner into the Galaxy Note 9, which it plans to launch sometime in August next year.

Apple, Samsung’s biggest rival in the mobile handset business, has removed the fingerprint scanner from the iPhone X. The smartphone uses a new facial recognition  technology called ‘Face ID’ that completely replaces Touch ID as a primary method of authentication. Apple claims its Face ID is much more secure than Touch ID.  An industry source told The Investor that Samsung does not want to follow Apple’s strategy by abandoning the fingerprint scanner from the device. “Samsung won’t get rid of fingerprint sensors in its handsets, as there many services and platforms run based on the technology.”

The report further claims Samsung has already finalised the hardware specifications of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, the two phones that’s going to replace the Galaxy S8 series. The production of both phones will start in December this year. It’s likely Samsung will debut the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February next year.

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are said to feature a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch displays, a Snapdragon 845 processor, and dual-cameras on the back. Both phones will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo.