Report: Galaxy Note 9 to be first Samsung device with in-display fingerprint sensor

It was rumored that the Galaxy S8 could be the first Samsung device to house an in-display fingerprint sensor, but, of course, it wasn’t. The same rumors then popped up for the upcoming Note 8, but based on the leaked images, the phablet’s fingerprint scanner will probably be positioned on the back.

So, when exactly will the company announce a smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor? According to a report from KGI (via 9to5Google), this might happen in a little over a year. The first Samsung device with this technology would reportedly be the Galaxy Note 9, which will likely make its debut in August or September 2018.

While Samsung seemingly could rush the technology out with the Galaxy S9, 9to5Google says that Samsung may avoid this as Apple has decided to go with a standard fingerprint scanner for the upcoming iPhone 8 generation also (thus Samsung won’t need to compete in that regard and risk the early tech underperforming). The Galaxy S9 should have quite a few other selling points, though, like an upgraded iris scanner or dual-camera setup, perhaps.

The in-display fingerprint scanners would reportedly be supplied by Egis and not Synaptics (the previous supplier of Samsung’s fingerprint scanners), and the technology is estimated to cost four to five times more than the standard sensors used on smartphones today. Fingerprint scanners are comparatively inexpensive to implement now — they are found on even budget handsets — but this still could increase the overall retails costs of the Galaxy Note 9, if it’s introduced there.

Please keep in mind that the report from KGI is still a rumor at this point, as nothing has been confirmed by Samsung yet. We’re quite some time away from the reveal of the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, so things can still change.