Samsung Galaxy S8 Could Have Rear-Mounted Fingerprint Scanner And Iris Scanner Instead Of Optical Fingerprint Recognition

Alexandra Burlacu, Tech Times 16 December 2016, 04:12 pm

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S8 has stirred a bevy of rumors so far and the latest one now hints at a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and an iris scanner.

Previous rumors, meanwhile, indicated that the Galaxy S8 would borrow the Galaxy Note 7's thin Y-OCTA display technology and have an optical fingerprint reader embedded into the display.

Contradicting Galaxy S8 Rumors

Ahead of any big release, however, there are at least some contradicting rumors and the Galaxy S8 makes no difference. While earlier reports suggested an optical fingerprint scanner, the latest rumor says the Galaxy S8 will actually have a fingerprint scanner on its back, doubling down on security by borrowing the Note 7's iris scanner and taking it to the next level.

The news comes from Korean site Naver, which reports (translated) that the Samsung Galaxy S8's iris scanner will be faster than the one found on the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

Once the Galaxy S8 hits the scene with advanced iris recognition on board, Samsung will reportedly rekindle partnerships with banks and financial institutions to make its Samsung Pass service available.

Galaxy S8 Specs

The Korean report reiterates that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will not have a physical home button, which earlier rumors already mentioned.

Recent reports also indicated that the Galaxy S8 will have an all-screen, nearly bezel-free display, but no dual cameras and possibly no headphone jack either.

Other information that leaked so far also indicates that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will come with a Snapdragon 835 or an in-house Exynos 8895 processor.

Leaks also indicate that the Galaxy S8 will come with foldable screens and Bluetooth 5, aiming to offer a top-notch experience that would make up for the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco and continue the Galaxy S7 success.

No AI Assistant?

Lastly, earlier rumors claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will launch with an advanced AI assistant obtained from Samsung's acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Viv Labs, but that may not happen after all. Samsung signed a non-compete agreement with Google back in 2014, preventing it from making any major software changes, which means that the AI assistant may not be possible anytime soon if Samsung still wants to use Android for its galaxy flagships.

As always with leaks, rumors and speculation, however, nothing is certain until Samsung makes an official announcement. More information will surely surface in the weeks to come, but Samsung won't make the formal unveiling until the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in February. In the meantime, take all leaks with a hefty grain of salt.