Last we heard, Samsung had given up on including a fingerprint scanner underneath the Galaxy Note 9’s screen. This might not prove to be true after all though, as a new report claims that it’s still under consideration.
An industry source told The Korea Herald that Samsung Display had prepared 3 or 4 in-display solutions for Samsung Electronics. Both subsidiaries are seriously considering adopting one of the methods.
There’s apparently been a delay in deciding which concept to go with because of the sheer amount of work it will take to implement it. A final decision is due to be made by the end of March, so we might hear more definitive news in the weeks ahead.
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Samsung typically finalizes the design of its flagship phone 5 months in advance, so it’ll be cutting it close if it wants to stick to the Galaxy Note series’ usual August timeline. The company seems very keen on switching to an in-display fingerprint solution in order to set the handset apart from rival phones by Huawei and Vivo.
Vivo became the first OEM to release a phone with an under-display fingerprint sensor back in January this year. Samsung has been developing the idea for years, but the results didn’t match the brand’s expectations. One insider claims that it’s currently working on improving the tech on flexible AMOLED panels for the Galaxy Note 9.
He believes Samsung will get the technology up to scratch by the time August rolls around. Other than competition, there’s another reason the brand is eager to switch to an in-display fingerprint scanning solution. The present rear-facing reader prevents a bigger battery from being included, a problem when trying to upgrade specs.