Report: Samsung bringing fingerprint scanners to affordable Galaxy J series

When fingerprint readers first made their way to smartphones, they were only available on high-end models. That soon changed, as more and more manufacturers started releasing mid-range devices with fingerprint scanners. It looks like the scanners are becoming a lot cheaper to produce, as they will soon be available on budget smartphones as well.

According to a new report from ETnews, Samsung is bringing fingerprint scanners to its affordable Galaxy J series, which will hit the market sometimes in the second half of the year. One of the reasons for this move is that the tech giant wants to expand its mobile payment service — Samsung Pay.

Galaxy J smartphones are quite popular among consumers, as Samsung sells more than 100 million units every year. The main market for the devices is India, where the company recently launched Samsung Pay. The service is currently only compatible with a few smartphones including the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, and Galaxy A7 (2016), among others, but now looks like it will eventually be available on the Galaxy J series as well.

Samsung will reportedly start manufacturing the new Galaxy J generation with fingerprint scanners in May, using sensors supplied by Dreamtech, MCNEX, and Patron.

Would you like to see fingerprint readers on budget smartphones like the Galaxy J series? Let us know your thoughts down below.