In the coming weeks, there are two major flagship smartphones expected to hit the market, the iPhone 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. In the past, there has been much speculations as to whether or not the upcoming note will have an iris scanner. Now, according to reports from South Korea, the device will indeed incorporate such a feature, and it is being supplied by Korean camera module maker Patron.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to feature iris-scanning technology
Early claims that the device would incorporate an iris scanner are now more believable as it has been reported that Patron will be supplying the iris modules to Samsung for the upcoming Galaxy Note 7. Patron reportedly won the bid to supply Samsung with the entire volume of its iris camera modules for its upcoming flagship “phablet.”
The report also highlighted the fact that Samsung had been seriously contemplating adding iris scanning technology into its devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S4 back in 2013 but decided against it last minute. This was due to the fact that iris scanning technology was still in its infancy at that stage and was not as simple as user-friendly as a fingerprint scanner.
An iris scanner on the upcoming Galaxy Note 7 seems plausible, considering the fact that Samsung recently released the Galaxy Tab Iris in India. Since the device was only intended to be used in Indian banks, financial institutions, and enterprises, it is natural that the device uses iris scanning as a security authentication method. This shows that Samsung could easily incorporate iris scanning technology into its next smartphone.
More secure authentication
Iris scanning is a much more effective user authentication method, as its recognizes up to 266 traits in one’s iris, compared to the fingerprint scanner, which only identifies up to 40 traits on a fingerprint. In the related press release, Samsung said that its “advanced iris recognition technology” will allow for hassle-free biometric authentication.
According to previously leaked renders of the Galaxy Note 7, the device is now expected to feature two cameras on the front, one for taking pictures and the other for iris scanning. With today’s news, the addition seems even more likely to appear.
It should be noted that Toshiba had, in fact, released a handset in Japan some time ago that included iris scanning technology. However, the technology was prone to bugs and took much longer to read than a fingerprint scanner. A question was also raised about the possibility of whether a person would have trouble initializing the phone should they be wearing colored contact lenses.
With or without an iris scanner, the Galaxy Note 7 will most definitely be an important addition to the modern smartphone market. According to previous rumors and reports, the device could come equipped with a 5.8-inch Quad-HD resolution AMOLED screen and 6GB of RAM inside. It should have a Snapdragon 823 SoC or an equivalent Exynos chipset, and is believed to come with a dual camera setup and IP68 certification.
With these incredible specifications and its upcoming August announcement, it’s no secret that the device is intended to go toe-to-toe with Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 Plus, which has also been reported having two rear cameras. The early launch strategy that Samsung has used in the past has worked out well for them, and chances are that August announcement will pan out.
