Samsung Galaxy S10 Might Feature New Fingerprint Reading Technology, Latest Leaks Suggest
The Samsung Galaxy S10 might not be due for launch until next year, but rumors are nonetheless swirling when it comes to the South Korean company’s next-generation flagship phone. The latest of these rumors lends even more credence to previous reports that suggested the Galaxy S10 might try to differentiate itself through a fingerprint reader embedded in the display, while also adding more information on the technology behind the rumored feature.
According to a report from BGR, word of the Samsung Galaxy S10’s rumored killer feature came from noted “insider” Ice Universe, who quoted a report from tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a Weibo post. The post suggests that the Galaxy S10 will do away with the usual optical sensors and instead use a Qualcomm-made ultrasonic sensor embedded in the device’s screen for its fingerprint reading system. This is a feature that will supposedly be included in the Galaxy S10, Galaxy A series, and Galaxy Note 10, though, in the case of the first phone, only the 6.1-inch and 6.4-inch versions will reportedly be getting the ultrasonic sensors.
The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is not the only purported Samsung Galaxy S10 feature that has been rumored in recent days. A previous report from the Inquisitr also mentioned the Fingerprint-on-Display (FOD) scanner referred to by Ice Universe in the new leak, but focused on the possibility of each Galaxy S10 variant having multiple camera sensors, ranging from the three sensors expected to be found in the 5.8-inch Galaxy S10 Lite (one in front, three in the back) to the five rumored for the 6.4-inch Galaxy S10+ (two in front, three in the back).
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 is expected to come in 3 different sizes. The two larger versions will include a new type of fingerprint reader that you can't find in Apple's iPhones https://t.co/geV4Gue0mH
— Insider Tech (@TechInsider) July 16, 2018
Going back to the ultrasonic fingerprint sensors, Ice Universe also shared some comments supposedly made by Samsung mobile head DJ Koh during his trip to China, according to BGR. In separate posts on Twitter, Ice Universe quoted Koh, who reportedly said that the Galaxy S10 won’t come with conventional optical fingerprint sensors because optical technology “can cause a bad user experience.” As such, the switch to ultrasound technology is expected to provide a better experience to device owners once the Galaxy S10 gets released, most possibly in the first half of 2019.
In response to the new leaks, BGR noted that the Samsung Galaxy S10 might “beat Apple to the punch” by including a feature that was once expected to be found on the iPhone X. The publication wrote that ultrasonic sensors could offer an advantage over their optical counterparts by remaining functional even if the screen is dirty, while also allowing phone owners to use the entire screen “as a giant fingerprint sensor” instead of placing their thumbs on their phone’s home button to get their fingerprints read.
