14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is very likely to give up on the fingerprint sensor on the upcoming Galaxy Tab S4 flagship tablet, instead betting big on a mix of iris scanning and facial recognition.
With an approach that reminds of Apple’s iPhone X, Samsung could make a major step towards waving goodbye to fingerprint readers entirely on its devices, despite the company believed to be exploring other options as well.
SamMobile analyzed Galaxy Tab S4 firmware to look for unlocking methods, and by the looks of things, there’s no mention of a fingerprint sensor. The device, however, will use iris recognition and face unlocking, just like Samsung’s flagship phones.
The fate of fingerprint sensors
Apple removed the fingerprint sensor from the iPhone last year with the debut of the anniversary iPhone X. This decision was received with mixed reactions from customers and competitors, with some deciding to use this as a way of mocking Apple in their ads.
Samsung, however, has never appeared to be interested in ditching fingerprint readers entirely. The company is still said to be looking into further options to keep the sensor around, including embedding it into the display, a method that has long been under consideration at several companies.
While several Chinese manufacturers have already launched such technology, a fingerprint sensor into the glass has never been described as reliable enough to meet Apple’s and Samsung’s standards. And while Apple gave up on this idea entirely, Samsung is apparently still looking into it, with the upcoming Galaxy S10 expected to feature some sort of new implementation of the fingerprint sensor.
The end of fingerprint sensors might be closer than we think, but at the same time, it looks like more and more companies are embracing an idea that they all criticized at some point. It’ll be interesting, however, to see what direction Samsung chooses in the long term, especially as sales of its flagships are said to be declining.