14 DAY TRIAL // There's a lot of debate regarding the Galaxy S8's rear-mounted fingerprint reader, but few know why Samsung decided to adopt the current design. Some of you might remember that initial reports suggested the Galaxy S8 would feature a front-facing fingerprint sensor, which would be positioned under the display.
Since the Home button has been completely removed from the flagship, the only options for Samsung would have been to put the fingerprint reader on the back side, on the edges of the phone, or under the display.
It appears that Samsung initially decided to put it under the display. For that to succeed, the South Korean company teamed up with Synaptics, a well-known company that develops touch sensor technology.
Although Samsung has poured a lot of money into the development, Synaptics failed to create the technology needed on time, The Investor reports. A source familiar with the matter said, “Samsung poured resource into Synaptics' fledgling technology last year but the results were frustrating.”
Only two companies are close to a breakthrough, and Synaptics is not among them
Due to the lack of time needed to polish the technology required for the on-screen fingerprint sensor, Samsung was forced to choose another solution for its upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship.
“With the production imminent, the company had to decide to relocate the fingerprint scanning home button to the back of the device at the last minute,” said the same source.
However, the real problem for many Samsung fans is not the relocation of the fingerprint sensor on the back side, but the fact that the South Korean company chose to position it next to the camera, which makes it hard to access.
Currently, there are two companies working on on-screen fingerprint readers, Goodix and CrucialTec, both of which showcased their technologies at Mobile World Congress without offering any timelines for commercial availability.