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Samsung will reportedly introduce an in-display fingerprint reader with the Galaxy Note 9

Samsung will reportedly introduce an in-display fingerprint reader with the Galaxy Note 9

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Apple has apparently dropped the feature, and Samsung doesn’t want to rush it

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Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

When Samsung released its Galaxy S8 smartphone earlier this year, it did so with an unfortunate design choice: the fingerprint scanner was placed on the back, right next to the phone’s camera. It looks as though that placement might stick around for a while longer, based on a report from KGI Securities.

9to5Google writes that KGI released a new report that claims that Samsung is going to keep the fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone, at least for now. Samsung is apparently ready to keep the scanner on the back of the phone through the Galaxy S9 when it’s released next year, and is aiming to introduce the under-display feature in the eventual Galaxy Note 9.

While it’s in an annoying location, its placement on the S8 seems to have been a last-minute change due to difficulties in developing an under-the-display fingerprint reader.

Samsung isn’t the only company having trouble getting this feature right

Samsung isn’t the only company having trouble getting this particular feature right. As smartphone manufacturers push towards devices with edge-to-edge screens, they have to either move some buttons to the rear of the phone, or incorporate their functions into the screen. Apple had been rumored to be working on an in-display fingerprint reader for the next big iPhone, but a recent report from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the company is going hold off, and might use a virtual button instead.

Because of that, KGI doesn’t think that Samsung will rush to introduce the technology: the “Galaxy S9 will have the new selling points of upgraded iris recognition and dual camera, Samsung has no need to risk adopting under-display optical fingerprint solution in a hurry.”