News & Reviews:   fingerprint scanner

Some might have been disappointed by Samsung's decision to not use an under-display fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy Z Fold3. Rather than that, the company opted for an old-school side scanner for necessary security. However, with the upcoming Z Fold4, the Korean tech giant might take one step further than an under-display fingerprint scanner by using one that scans on both sides.

When Samsung first released the Galaxy S10 series, they have also introduced a new way for biometric authentication that uses an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor rather than the conventional optical sensor. After using it for almost two years on different smartphone series, the company might finally bring an upgrade to the fingerprint sensor and we'll see it when the Galaxy S21 series releases.

The Samsung fingerprint scanner cum home button has been in place since the Samsung Galaxy S5 was introduced, and the shape and design has been maintained ever since. However a new patent spotted online may change everything as the company may change the shape into a circle, ala Apple iPhones.

The rumoured HTC One Max phablet or the bigger brother of the HTC One has recently been pictured side by side with it's siblings, the HTC One and HTC One Mini with a fingerprint scanner. Now, asides from being a security feature many people are saying such a feature could add more functions like a secure e-wallet transaction identification system or perhaps as an alternative scroll button. While this could be another clever render it could also be a different version altogether as there could be versions with or without the fingerprint scanner. Tech specs for the HTC One Max remain the same with a 5.9-inch Full HD 1080p display and Snapdragon 800 processor though but no exact news just yet on pricing or availability. However, some are expecting the HTC One Max to appear in September or October of 2013.

For those not in the know (or aren't an Apple iOS developer) then know this, Apple's iOS 7 beta 4 has been released. Apart from the new features and bug fixes, going through the change log confirms a new fingerprint scanner for the upcoming Apple iPhone 5S. This was found by developer Hamza Sood who discovered a folder labeled "BiometricKitUI". This folder contained script which described processes that show a fingerprint scanner in action. This included statements like "a person holding an iPhone with their left hand while touching the Home button with their thumb" or "A fingerprint that changes colour during the setup process". This would be a definite change from the norm as most 'S' upgrades to the Apple iPhone have largely been software and not hardware related.