Report: Samsung Aborts Plans for In-Display Fingerprint Sensor on the Galaxy S9

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Earlier this year, it was reported that Samsung tried to develop an in-display fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy S8. That did not pan out, and instead the phone shipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor in an off-center location next to the camera. Some criticized the fingerprint sensor’s placement as awkward, but the South Korea-based tech giant reportedly had no choice. Rumor has it that Samsung was forced to drop the in-display fingerprint sensor because low yields.

Now, a new report from The Investor states that Samsung has abandoned plans to include an in-display fingerprint scanner in the upcoming Galaxy S9. Instead, the company might place a conventional fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone and its larger-sized variant the Galaxy S9 Plus, same as the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

Samsung has finalized the hardware specifications of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, according to The Investor, and both phones have gone into pilot production ahead of mass production in December.

The Investor notes that for the past few years, Samsung has attempted to adopt in-display fingerprint technology for its flagship smartphones, but that the company has failed to do so due to technical difficulties. It adds that Samsung “[has been] struggling to find places to install modules and sensors […] which were previously located under the bezels”.

As of now, Samsung has no intention of giving up on fingerprint sensors as a form of biometric authentication, despite aborting plans to put an in-display sensor in its next flagship smartphone. An industry source told The Investor that Samsung would not remove fingerprint sensors from its devices because many of its software services are based on the technology.

Samsung reportedly hopes to ready an in-display fingerprint scanner for the Galaxy Note 9, the successor to the Galaxy Note 8, which is likely to be announced in August 2018. But it won’t be the first to market with an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

In July, Qualcomm and Vivo teamed up to demo an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor on a prototype Vivo smartphone, the first of its kind. The in-display sensor is said to be slower than capacitive fingerprint sensors and require OLED display technology in order to work.