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The Galaxy S9 won’t have the under-screen fingerprint sensor that eluded Apple

Published Oct 26th, 2017 4:20PM EDT
Galaxy S9 Rumors
Image: Jacob Siegal/BGR

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We’re several months away from the Galaxy S9 launch, which means it’s time for even more rumors. Only recently, we heard that the Galaxy S9 will enjoy a brief Snapdragon 845 exclusivity just like its predecessor did with the Snapdragon 835. A leaker said the Galaxy S9 will have a 3D facial recognition system just like the iPhone X, while others said the phone will sport a fingerprint sensor under the screen.

The same person who said a few weeks ago the Galaxy S9 will have a 3D front camera now says there won’t be a fingerprint sensor under the display.

Known as Ice Universe on Weibo and Twitter, the mysterious Chinese leaker made several accurate mobile predictions over the years. He’s 100% sure the phone will not feature a fingerprint reader under the display:

For a long time, we expected the iPhone X to have a Touch ID sensor buried under the screen. But as we got closer to the iPhone X’s launch, more and more reports said the phone won’t have a Touch ID sensor, which will be replaced by a depth-sensing facial recognition camera. Apple confirmed all of that on stage in September.

Meanwhile, on the Android side, we heard rumors that Samsung and others were working on technology that would allow it to embed a fingerprint sensor within the display. The technology wasn’t done in time for the Galaxy S8 last year, and the Galaxy Note 9 was rumored to be the first Samsung handset to ship with a display fingerprint sensor.

Ice Universe seems convinced that the Galaxy S9 won’t be the first Samsung phone to get it. That means Samsung will stick with a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. Or it will remove it like Apple did.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.