These days, almost every other new phone that gets announced seems to have a fingerprint sensor on-board. Once the iPhone introduced a fingerprint scanner, Samsung followed in its competitor's footsteps and introduced one with the Galaxy S5. Samsung originally used a swipe-based scanner, then moved to an immensely better touch sensor, which is the kind that has become rather commonplace these days.
Next year, Samsung will launch the Galaxy S7, and rumors have it that the company will be introducing an iris scanner with its seventh Galaxy S flagship. Samsung won't be the first to do so – Microsoft was the first to implement an iris scanner on a smartphone with the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, both of which are among the first Windows 10 phones on the market. The presence of an iris scanner will drive up the phone's cost according to the latest rumor, but that might not be the most worrisome aspect of the device, especially for fans of the fingerprint sensor.
What would be more worrisome for such fans is the possibility that Samsung might replace the fingerprint sensor with the iris scanner. That would be a nice move for the wow factor, but an iris scanner isn't expected to be as accurate or consistent as a fingerprint sensor. It would work well even in low-light conditions since it would work using infrared, but even then there will be conditions where your eyes will not be properly visible to the scanner, hence making it a liability rather than a useful feature. It probably won't be as fast either, and could add an additional step to even unlocking the device (with a fingerprint sensor, you can simply long press the home button for a few seconds to unlock the phone.)
Now, Samsung is most likely familiar with the technology's limitations and won't make it the only security system on the S7, especially since it would interfere with the convenience of Samsung Pay, a service the company is putting a lot of resources behind. But if does decide to do away with the fingerprint sensor and opt for an iris scanner, would you be fine with that decision?
Or would the lack of a fingerprint sensor put you off from buying the Galaxy S7? Or maybe you won't care? Well, whatever your opinion is, do let us know through the poll below. Don't forget to leave a comment as well with your thoughts on the matter.
