“Samsung has suggested it plans to make iris scanning key a growing payments ecosystem, and the technology’s presence in the Note8 is a testament to that ambition…”

Samsung has officially unveiled its Galaxy Note8 smartphone, and the device does indeed feature iris recognition technology.

It’s a feature that was originally meant to be pioneered by the doomed Galaxy Note7, which was ultimately recalled after reports that multiple units caught fire while charging. That technological hazard had nothing to do with the device’s iris scanning capability, but rather with a faulty battery component, the discovery of which prompted Samsung to implement new safety measures in its development process. Now, in a statement announcing the Note8, the company emphasized that the device’s battery “has undergone Samsung’s 8-Point Battery Safety Check—the most rigorous in the industry.”

Whether or not users remain concerned about the safety of the new Note device’s battery, they are likely interested in its iris scanning functionality, which has since been pioneered by the Samsung Galaxy S8 devices after the Note7 didn’t work out. Samsung has suggested it plans to make iris scanning key a growing payments ecosystem, and the technology’s presence in the Note8 is a testament to that ambition, and another sign that iris scanning could quickly become a normalized smartphone feature in much the same way that fingerprint scanning has.

Other features of the Note8 include a 6.3″ Super AMOLED display, dual 12MP rear cameras, wireless charging, and, of course, the S Pen stylus. It also features a fingerprint sensor on its rear, not integrated into the display, leaving that technological feat for next year’s Galaxy S9.

Sources: Samsung, Ars Technica