The Galaxy Note 9 might be the next flagship coming out of Samsung’s mobile division, but the phone that will follow the new Note, the Galaxy S10, is the talk of the town right now. And now, a new report out of South Korea delivers further details about Samsung’s Galaxy S10 flagship that’s set to launch in the first half of the year. The Galaxy S10 is expected to be a lot more exciting than the Galaxy S9 when it comes to new features. The Galaxy Note 9 will also be a “boring” phone, and this may explain the wave of new S10 rumors washing over the web earlier than expected.
According to Korean news site The Bell, Samsung is looking to remove the iris authentication feature from the Galaxy S10 line. Instead, the phone will pack a fingerprint on display (FOD) sensor, the kind of feature many iPhone X users would love to be able to use.
Samsung has considered adding the feature to its S and Note flagship lines for years, but decided against it because the technology wasn’t ready to mass produce. This year, however, we’ve seen several handsets with fingerprint sensors built right into the screen, and Samsung has perfected the technology for the S10. The Note 9, due in August, won’t have it.
The Bell says that Samsung is ditching iris scanning, adding that checks with suppliers have revealed Samsung hasn’t ordered iris authentication components for the Galaxy S10. In addition to FOD, the Galaxy S10 might also pack a 3D front-facing camera setup that would allow Samsung to offer customers a Face ID-like authentication method, as well as better AR Emoji.
The report does note that FOD and facial recognition might still hinder Galaxy S10 production, so Samsung might bring back iris recognition on short notice.
It’s unclear at this time whether all Galaxy S10 models will feature FOD or facial recognition. Another recent report from ETNews said that Samsung is making three distinct Galaxy S10 versions for next year, including an entry-level model and a flagship device. The FOD feature was mentioned, but the report didn’t expressly say whether all three handsets will have a fingerprint sensor embedded into the screen.
The Galaxy S10 should be unveiled in January at the earliest, according to a rumor.
