Samsung Galaxy S8’s Fingerprint Sensor Was A Last Minute Decision
In order to achieve a high screen-to-body ratio, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphones will not feature a fingerprint sensor on the front but instead would be built into the display, as the flagship device won’t come with a physical home button. Reportedly, the rumor was true, but Samsung ran out of time.
According to a report from The Investor, Samsung and Synaptics, the partner that works on the touch sensor, wanted to create a new feature technology that would have separated the device from the competitors. Samsung poured a lot of money into the development, but Synaptics failed to create the technology needed on time. However, they found that the process was slow and the results were “frustrating”.
As production got closer, Samsung had to make the decision to move the sensor to the back of the smartphone next to the rear-facing camera, as seen in the latest leaked images of the final design.
“With the production imminent, the company had to decide to relocate the fingerprint scanning home button to the back of the device at the last minute,” said a source familiar with the matter.
However, the placement of the fingerprint sensor on the back directly next to the rear-facing camera has been one of the few things that people aren’t happy about. People just don’t seem to like the setup, which requires reaching with the finger to the top of the smartphone, potentially smudging the camera lens in the process. Also, some believe that positioning the fingerprint sensor next to the camera makes it difficult to access it.
The Galaxy S8 is due to be announced on March 29th at an unpacked event in New York City and in London. The device will reportedly come in two sizes: a standard 5.8-inch model and a Galaxy S8 Plus with a 6.2-inch screen. Both devices will offer curved displays and will not have a physical home button beneath the display.
