In-Display Fingerprint Sensor Eludes Samsung’s Note 8: Leaks

Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy Note 8 smartphone will feature some sophisticated biometric capabilities, but not an in-display fingerprint sensor, according to new leaks citing anonymous insiders.

Previous purportedly leaked images depicted a device with a full-size front screen and no apparent fingerprint sensor component on the rear, prompting speculation that Samsung would put the Note 8’s fingerprint scanner into its display. But the new leaks suggest that the previous source was unreliable, asserting that the Note 8 will feature the same biometric capabilities as Samsung’s Galaxy S8 – iris scanning, facial recognition, and a fingerprint sensor on the rear.

That would still make it one of the most technologically sophisticated phones on the market with respect to biometrics, but it also represents a lost opportunity in the increasingly heated R&D race to bring fingerprint sensors into device displays, an aspiration shared by Apple, Sharp, and Vivo, among others. Still, there’s already speculation that next year’s Galaxy S9 will include the in-display sensor feature.

Other features alluded to in the new leaks include a screen size in the range of 6.3 to 6.4 inches, pressure-sensitive touch capabilities, and a 12MP dual-camera setup. The Note 8 is expected to be unveiled on August 23rd and to launch in Korea and the US on September 15th, with a price somewhere in the range of $872 to $1200.

Sources: The Korea Herald, TechRadar