14 DAY TRIAL // There are two major flagships expected to hit the market in the next few weeks, the iPhone 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. There has been much speculation regarding whether or not the upcoming Note will have an iris scanner. Now, it seems that reports from South Korea confirm that the device will indeed incorporate such a feature.
A report from Korea Herald now shows that the Galaxy Note 7 will sport an iris scanner, as Patron had already signed a contract with Samsung a few months ago. Korean camera module maker Patron will be supplying the entire volume of biometric modules for the upcoming handset.
The report also reveals that Samsung had intended to incorporate an iris scanner on its Galaxy S4, launched in 2013, but it decided against this move at the last minute, as the feature wasn’t as user-friendly as a fingerprint scanner.
Samsung has already launched a device with an iris scanner
An iris scanner on the upcoming Galaxy Note 7 doesn’t seem that far-fetched, considering that Samsung has recently launched the Galaxy Tab Iris in India. Granted, the device was designed to be used by India’s banks, financial institutions, and enterprises, so it's only natural that it uses authentication with the iris scanner. Still, this means that Samsung could easily integrate the iris scanner into its next smartphone.
Iris scanner is a much more effective user authentication method, as it recognizes 266 traits on an iris, compared to the fingerprint scanner, which identifies 40 traits on a fingerprint.
With or without an iris scanner, the Galaxy Note 7 will certainly leave its mark on the smartphone market. Rumors say the device could boast a 5.8-inch Quad-HD resolution AMOLED screen and 6GB of RAM inside. It should have a Snapdragon 823 SoC or an equivalent Exynos chipset, and is believed to come with dual camera and IP68 certification.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 is expected to be unveiled on August 2, during Galaxy Unpacked 2016 event, about one month before Apple releases its iPhone 7.