Samsung Extends In-Display Fingerprint Scanning to Mid-Range Line

Samsung is bringing in-display fingerprint scanning to at least one mid-range smartphone, signalling that this could become a mainstay feature in the company’s overall mobile lineup.

The newly-announced Galaxy A70 smartphone (pictured above) echoes the recent flagship Galaxy S10 in some other ways, too. There’s a strong focus on imaging, with the A70 sporting a triple-camera system featuring a 32MP high-resolution lens and an 8MP Ultra Wide Lens; and the device has a large ‘Infinity display’ and a heavy-duty 4,500 mAH battery.

But it’s the in-display fingerprint scanner that helps to differentiate the smartphone from many rivals, and most notably Apple, whose latest iPhones all feature facial recognition as their sole mechanism for biometric authentication. Not to miss out on that trend either, Samsung has also implemented a facial recognition system in the A70 – just as it did in the Galaxy S10 – though its official announcement of the device scarcely mentioned it, emphasizing the in-display fingerprint sensor as its key differentiator.

What’s missing is iris recognition, which Samsung had worked hard to pioneer with devices like the Galaxy S8 and S9, and promptly abandoned after Apple made waves with the iPhone X’s Face ID system. It’s another sign of the growing prominence of facial recognition and in-display fingerprint recognition – possibly at the expense of other modalities.

Samsung hasn’t yet announced the A70’s release date or its pricing, but these and possibly other details should be revealed at a launch event scheduled for April 10th.

Sources: TechRadar, Android Authority, Samsung