Samsung is looking to compete on multiple biometric fronts with the next addition to its Galaxy S line, and is ready to sacrifice the signature feature of its last few smartphones. According to reports from Samsung’s supply chain, the company is looking to drop iris scanning for its Galaxy S10 – but is going to replace that authentication mechanism with a highly sophisticated facial recognition system.
It’s a bid to compete directly with Apple and its Face ID system, which is expected to proliferate beyond the iPhone X and into additional Apple devices this year. Samsung is reportedly working with Israel-based Mantis Vision to develop its 3D face scanning technology.
Samsung has long been a bit of an Apple copycat, including features like a fingerprint reader in its smartphones only after Apple led the way; indeed, iris scanning was the one big departure in which Samsung led the charge to a new modality. But iris recognition hasn’t caught on in the broader mobile industry.
Still, if Samsung can’t get a viable face scanning system in time for its production schedule, it might revert to iris recognition.
Meanwhile, the company is also working to implement in-display fingerprint scanning in the Galaxy S10, in a bid to compete with smaller rivals like Vivo and Xiaomi. The latter companies have managed to pioneer this kind of technology in devices launched this year, while Apple has showed no appetite to bring it to the iPhone or any other devices; thus by implementing 3D face scanning and in-display fingerprint authentication in its flagship new device, Samsung could position itself as the leading heavyweight in biometric authentication – a competitive area that is now evidently key in the mobile market.
Follow Us