With only a few days left for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the rumors about the Galaxy Note 9 have begun to erupt. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 expected to ship in August 2018 will be integrated with an in-screen fingerprint scanner. It seems that the upcoming Galaxy S9 will have a rear fingerprint scanner and not in-screen as rumored previously.

Possible competition

The main reason for the integration of the new in-screen fingerprint with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is attributed to the possible heavy competition from the upcoming OLED iPhone 8.

There are reports that Apple has decided to avoid under-display fingerprint scanner and touch ID functionality in the iPhone 8. By attempting to embed an advanced iris recognition capability alongside the dual camera and optical in-screen fingerprint in Galaxy Note 9, Samsung is aiming to boost their market share.

Key selling point

Samsung has decided to integrate an optical fingerprint technology in the 9th edition of the popular Galaxy Note because the company requires new selling points to attract the market. By the time Samsung unveils the Note 9 in 2018, Apple would have established a credible base for the iPhone 8. Hence, Samsung should infuse new technologies in a bid to win the hearts of the people.

New partnerships

Meanwhile, Kuo revealed that Samsung had inked a strategic partnership with Egis for the supply of fingerprint modules in Galaxy S9 series. According to the information pointed out in the report, Samsung is considering to establish a deal with Samsung LSI, Synaptics, Egis, and Goodix for the manufacture of an in-screen fingerprint scanner for the flagship Galaxy Note 9.

Tight integration

Even though Samsung developed the LSI fingerprint solution, the company is also rumored to be in talks with other partners because of the lack of maturity for the LSI model. Kuo hints at a possibility of an Egis-branded fingerprint security sensor since it is capable of integration with both hardware and software using state of the art algorithm.

The cost of the new fingerprint solution is expected to increase five times more than the currently available fingerprint technology.

In his report, Kuo added that the fingerprint technology solution developed by Synaptics is facing technical problems about the optical layer. Therefore, the Korea-based smartphone company is finding it difficult to cater to the huge demand and also to meet the mass production deadline for the Galaxy S9.

If the facts pointed out in the report released by Kuo turn out to be true, Egis would replace Synaptics as the largest fingerprint chipset supplier for Samsung in 2018. Previously, only Vivo and Sharp have managed to integrate the in-screen fingerprint sensor. The upcoming Vivo Xplay7 and Sharp Aquos S2 will ship with the new technology.

The forthcoming Galaxy S9 series with the rear fingerprint scanner will launch in February 2018 during the side lines of the MWC 2018. The phone will also ship with bezel-less display in addition to an enhanced Bixby voice assistant.