Iris Scanner Key to Note7’s Strong Security Pitch

Samsung has officially launched its new Note7 smartphone, and it does indeed feature an iris scanner, among other sophisticated features.

In announcing the new device, Samsung pitched the iris scanner as part of a larger, powerful security apparatus. The company highlighted the Note7’s use of the Samsung Knox security platform, and noted that users could also take advantage of another biometric modality in the form of fingerprint scanning.

While users have long been able to use their fingerprint as a means to verify purchases on Samsung Pay, the mobile payment platform will now also enable iris scanning for transaction verification on supported devices such as the Note7. Furthermore, Samsung says it’s bringing biometric authentication to more services and apps through a new feature called Samsung Pass.

It isn’t clear yet whether the Note7’s iris scanning arrives with the shortcomings predicted from recent leaks – most notably the inability to scan through glasses, and potentially harmful health effects. But Samsung is clearly throwing a lot of weight behind the feature in terms of promotion, and positioning it as a key component of a strong security pitch for the Note7, which suggests the company is confident in the Note7’s iris scanning.

Other impressive new features include IP68 water resistance, HDR video streaming, pairing with the new Gear VR headset, and, of course, a sharper S Pen stylus that can be used to doodle on the device and even to create GIFs.