Much Like iPhone 5s, Samsung S5 Said to Have Fingerprint Scanner

Samsung’s on the verge of releasing its newest smartphone, and Apple aficionados might find that some of its rumored features sound a little familiar. As SamMobile reports (via 9to5Mac), the Galaxy S5 (if that’s not similar enough for you) will embed a fingerprint sensor in the device’s home button, much as with the iPhone 5s. That’s a stark departure from earlier rumors that the sensor would be embedded in the screen itself.

Samsung will likely announce the device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next Monday, but the rival smartphone probably won’t go on sale until sometime in March or April. 9to5Mac also claims that the new phone won’t have the iris sensor that was widely rumored, based on a document obtained from KGI Research that points to the fingerprint sensor instead.

Source: 9to5Mac

In SamMobile’s words, “Samsung hasn’t opted for on-screen buttons and is still using physical buttons, like it has been using in the past on all of its flagship devices. The sensor itself works in a swipe manner, which means that you would need to swipe the entire pad of your finger, from base to tip, across the home key to register your fingerprint properly.”

Not bad, but swiping seems a little more fiddly than Apple’s comparatively simple solution that works with a simple touch. We’ll find out what other surprises the device has in store when Samsung reveals it on February 24.

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