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Samsung patents different home key and rear finger scanner, hinting at new Galaxy designs

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By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jun 27, 2016, 2:56 AM

Samsung patents different home key and rear finger scanner, hinting at new Galaxy designs

Samsung has apparently been toying around with different shapes and placements for the fingerprint scanner, recent patent applications suggest. While now it has it embedded in the physical home key underneath the display, the patents include both changing the shape, and relocating the scanner altogether.

The shape-shifter is depicted with a square in a circle, instead of the elliptical home key that we have now on Samsung phones, while the mover is placed on the rear of the device. Now, whether these patents mean that Samsung is planning a complete design overhaul for the Galaxy S series next year, remains to be seen, but apparently the tech to embed the fingerprint reader in the display itself is still far from mass adoption, or Samsung wouldn't be bothering with these.

Since Apple is rumored to release an all-glass iPhone next year, with something like an edge-to-edge screen, Samsung might also be mulling ways to potentially counteract such a move with a svelte new redesign of its own. We'll see.

source: Patently Mobile via SamMobile

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.