Leading technology companies copy each other constantly, just like rival companies in most other industries. Samsung takes more flak than most other tech companies following its widely publicized court battles with Apple — we all remember Samsung’s secret 132-page document explaining in great detail how its phones should copy various iPhone features — but Apple copies things from other companies as well, of course. Moving back to Samsung for a moment, it looks like HTC isn’t the only smartphone vendor looking to follow Apple’s lead with embedded fingerprint scanners.
According to unnamed industry sources speaking to Digitimes, Samsung and LG both have plans to include fingerprint scanning technology in some high-end smartphones this year. This may or may not include Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S5 smartphone and LG’s 2014 flagship phone, the G3. An earlier report suggested that the Galaxy S5 will include an iris scanner rather than a fingerprint scanner, but obviously neither report is confirmed at this point.
Digitimes’ report claims that San Jose, California-based Validity will supply fingerprint scanners for Samsung’s high-end handset models, while Sweden’s Fingerprint Cards AB managed to secure LG’s contract.
