14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is one of the world's largest smartphone manufacturers, if we take into consideration the variety of products that it offers. The South Korean giant has been competing against Apple for some time, as both companies wish to hold the supremacy of the consumer phones market. Now, it seems that Samsung has filed a patent application in order to make some design changes on its upcoming handsets.
There are some design elements that manage to set Samsung and Apple apart, especially when it comes to the home button. The front-facing button is the most visible element that can make a difference between a Samsung device and an iPhone, since the latter comes with round-shaped home buttons.
You probably know that Samsung's home button has an oblong shape, with the fingerprint scanner incorporated on some models. According to Patently Mobile, the patent application reveals that Samsung might be straying from this design and heading towards a round-shaped form, which would be strikingly similar to home button on the iPhone.
The fingerprint scanner could be placed on the rear of next Samsung smartphones
The first patent also shows that Samsung might include a circular fingerprint scanner below the display while the second patent reveals that the fingerprint scanner could be placed on the rear.
Samsung could actually put the scanner on the front for some smartphone series, and on the back for other lines. If this second scenario proves to be true, the fingerprint scanner could be located right below the back cameras, provided that they are centered.
Still, this is just a patent application, so it doesn't mean that Samsung will actually go through with it and change the shape of the home button. It simply implies that the South-Korean manufacturer is keeping this option open, as many other companies do when they file a patent application.
Until we see a significantly redesigned home button on Samsung smartphones, the company is expected to release the Galaxy Note 7 with an iris scanner on August 2.
