Galaxy Note 9 likely won’t get in-display fingerprint scanner (Update: Actually, maybe it will)

The Synaptics Clear ID in-display optical fingerprint sensor.

Update (03/23) 10:45 A.M. EST: It seems that The Bell may have jumped the gun, as The Korea Herald obtained inside information that Samsung is still considering the implementation of an under-glass fingerprint scanner in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 9. According to the anonymous source, Samsung's display department has "prepared three or four solutions" when it comes to the practical issues of putting a fingerprint scanner under the main display, like cost and the movement of other interior hardware. This will give the main branch of Samsung Electronics a few options, and the source says both branches are "seriously considering" one of those proposed solutions.

According to the source, the decision will be finalized this month.

If the Galaxy Note 9 gets an under-glass fingerprint sensor, it will likely be the first globally released smartphone to have the feature. It would surely be an easy way to market the Note line as being a progressive brand, as well as help differentiate the phone from the recently released Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.

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Original Article: It seems like it has been years now that Samsung (and other brands) have been promising to put a fingerprint sensor under smartphone displays. The rumors first started with the Galaxy S8, before being pushed back to the Galaxy Note 8, the Galaxy S9, and the Galaxy Note 9.

However, the feature has never materialized, leaving users with a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone.

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Unsurprisingly, a new report about the Galaxy Note 9 suggests that Samsung won't include an in-display fingerprint sensor in the upcoming phone. Instead, Korean site The Bell suggests that the fingerprint sensor will be placed at the back of the device. The source says that despite a number of different companies developing the feature for two years now, technical difficulties have once again led to its delay.

The article says that production of the display for the Note 9 is set to start in June and even if Samsung delay the development schedule as much as possible, they will be unable to apply the new technology in only four months.

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The first phone with an under-glass fingerprint sensor officially announced

Update (01/24): Vivo has officially announced the first phone with an under-glass fingerprint sensor. The Vivo X20 Plus UD, as mentioned in the original article below, is simply a variant of original X20 Plus without the rear-facing …

This means that for the foreseeable future, the only phone likely to feature an in-display fingerprint scanner will be the Vivo X20 Plus UD. This phone uses an in-display fingerprint sensor developed by Synaptics. The phone hasn't been released yet but we noted in our hands-on review of a sample model that unlocking the phone worked as expected, although it was a little slower than existing solid-state sensors.

Of course, the problem is that Vivo doesn't have the same distribution as Samsung and the phone is currently only set for release in China. When the rest of the world will be able to get their hands on such a device remains to be seen.

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