When the first Galaxy Tab S4 renders showed up, the lack of a fingerprint sensor anywhere on the device left only one logical explanation: That Samsung would be employing an iris scanner instead. After all, the company wouldn't launch its new flagship tablet without any sort of security feature other than the software ones that come as part of Android, right? We were later able to confirm the presence of an iris scanner on the Galaxy Tab S4 thanks to our insiders, and if you needed more proof, the instructional video below should be enough.
Iris scanner is here to stay… for the time being
We have extracted this video from the official Galaxy Tab S4 firmware that is now available on the SamMobile firmware database. It's the same animation that plays when you're setting up Intelligent Scan on the Galaxy S9 or S9+. For those unaware, Intelligent Scan combines the iris scanner and facial recognition when unlocking the device. If one fails, the other is used as a backup. For example, since the iris scanner has issues working in harsh sunlight, Intelligent Scan switches to facial recognition. The reverse is true for usage in the dark, where facial recognition usually fails to work.
It's only a matter of time before the Galaxy Tab S4 is made official now that the first firmware is available (based on Android 8.1). The Tab S3 was announced earlier because of the Galaxy Note 7's demise, but the first two Galaxy Tab S tablets were launched in July, and the same may happen this year. If you're interested, we have all the wallpapers of the Galaxy Tab S4 available in our wallpaper archive for your viewing and downloading pleasure.
What do you think of Samsung opting to remove the fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy Tab S4 and only going with iris scanning?
