A new rumor states that the Samsung Galaxy S8 might come with fingerprint sensor on the back of the smartphone.
Optical Sensor
Earlier, it was rumored that the Samsung Galaxy S8, the upcoming flagship phone of the South Korean smartphone manufacturer, would come with optical fingerprint sensors. This will offer a higher resolution of scanning with 1 mm fully covered glass. The new sensor will go for mass production during the first quarter of the coming year. Though there are rumors about the new sensor, it is also expected that Samsung will announce its new Galaxy S8 in the MWC to be held in February 2017, which means that there is no time for production.
Sensor on the Rear
In addition to the above news regarding the new technology for fingerprint scanners, there are also rumors that the fingerprint sensor will be found on the rear of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Naver, a web portal based in South Korea, says that Samsung will probably eliminate the home button on the phone and replace it with the fingerprint scanner on the rear. It is also rumored that the new Galaxy S8 will feature the iris scanner that was earlier seen in the infamous Galaxy Note 7. It will come with some enhancements, however. Other rumors claim that the company is launching the Samsung Pass service once more, with the iris recognition technologies.
Far Fetched
However, it is seen that all Samsung smartphones have featured the home button till now. Hence, this rumor would seem farfetched to some. But even Apple had home buttons on its devices from the beginning and recently the company has made changes on its latest iPhones. It is usually the norm to find the physical home buttons on iPhones. However, in case of Android phones, Samsung seems to be the odd one out using a physical button. There are fingerprint scanners to be found on the rear of several other Android devices, namely some popular Huawei smartphones and the Pixel phones from Google.
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Rear Tactics
Samsung can justify the removal of the home button if the rumor regarding the reintroduction of iris recognition sensor is seen on the device front. Earlier it was suggested that the new fingerprint scanner feature would be baked on the display of the phone. However, many smartphones have actually adopted the tactic of placing the scanner on the rear plate. This is more comfortable for using and provides the user a seamless access, as the fingertips are in close proximity while holding the smartphone.
Additional Onus
With the sad debacle of the Galaxy Note 7, the onus seems to rest more heavily on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8. The new flagship device from the company will be officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress to be held in February 2017, so there are just a couple of months left for speculation. All this is mere speculation, as nothing is confirmed till an actual production model is viewed or till Samsung officially announces these phones in the coming year.