Despite the fact that Samsung's Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were generally praised across the board, there was one element of both smartphones that a lot of folks didn't seem all that fond of: the fingerprint reader location. Samsung followed a lot of other Android manufacturers in that it decided to put the sensor on the back of the phone, but, for reasons known to Samsung, it decided to put it to the side of the camera setup. That didn't make it the easiest fingerprint reader to reach.
Which can be frustrating! While Samsung did offer other unlocking methods for their smartphones, the fingerprint reader is still the easiest option. Or it's supposed to be, anyway.
So, Samsung made the necessary change with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, moving the fingerprint reader so that it's below the camera system on the back of the phone. I've seen Samsung congratulated for the change, but I've also seen folks say that it's still too close to the camera. I can understand where both parties are coming from.
In the end, though, I think the change is a positive one.
Now, Samsung might be making another change to the fingerprint reader. You've probably heard the rumors by now. A lot of different companies have been tipped to be working on in-display fingerprint readers, including Samsung, Apple, and others. Vivo, a company based out of China, was the first to do it, and showed off the feature earlier this year. And now that one company has done it, we'll likely see it crop up in more phones from this point on.
Apple won't be doing it, probably, though, as that company is relying on facial recognition with its Face ID feature and TrueDepth camera system. But Samsung? Well, they continue to be the front-runner as far as the rumor mill goes. We recently heard that the company has at least four options in the works for an in-display fingerprint reader, and that we may see it come to light later this year with the Galaxy Note 9.
Of course, the rumor mill has also suggested that Samsung won't be launching a smartphone with a fingerprint reader embedded in the display, so take that for what it's worth.
But, the idea that Samsung might change the location of the fingerprint reader again stood out to me. I certainly think it's possible, especially if they introduce it with the Galaxy Note 9 and then bring it over to the Galaxy S9's successor next year.
But, the question I'm asking here is whether or not they should. From the Android users that I've spoken with, the fingerprint reader being on the back of the phone (not just in Samsung's case, but most devices) is the right spot, as long as it's comfortable and easy to reach. So I wanted to get your opinion on the matter.
Do you think Samsung should move the fingerprint location on its smartphones? Should the company adopt the in-display option from this point on? Let me know what you think!
Should Samsung move the fingerprint reader? originally posted at http://phonedog.com
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