Moto X (2015) will likely incorporate fingerprint scanner

Last year, source code turned up suggesting that Motorola and Google had originally planned to incorporate a fingerprint scanner into the Nexus 6, though the sensor was ultimately scrapped by the time the final hardware arrived. More recently, it was announced Android M will support fingerprint readers out of the box, making it clear that Google still has fingerprint reading on its radar. But what about Motorola? If a new leak proves accurate, Motorola’s next-gen Moto X will also offer a fingerprint reader.

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The two photos below give us a peak at what is allegedly the Moto X’s chassis. While we have no way of confirming if this is the real deal or not, but whatever this device is, its back shows off a cut-out that certainly looks about the right size and shape for a fingerprint scanner.

This means, if the leak is correct, Motorola will be taking a rear-mounted approach to fingerprint scanning. Considering Motorola has long ditched physical or capacitive keys on all but its Droid series, we aren’t surprised that they are taking a different route than Apple or Samsung. For what it’s worth, the center-rear position is actually very comfortable and natural to reach for, as evidenced by devices like the HUAWEI Mate 7.

While it is too early to say for sure if this is a fingerprint scanner, or even a real Moto X (2015), we can’t say we’d be too surprised. Of course, unless the Moto X 2015 ships with Android M out of the box (quite unlikely), Motorola will probably come with a modified version of Android Lollipop with its own in-house fingerprint scanner drivers and software, though we imagine it will play nicely with Android Pay and other Android M fingerprint reader features when they do arrive.

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What do you think, do you consider a fingerprint scanner to be a desirable feature for a smartphone or more a gimmick? Let us know what you think in the comments.