The upcoming Galaxy S9 will feature an improved iris scanner that's secure enough to be used to protect sensitive information, according to a new report published by The Korea Herald. Samsung is also refining the software the feature uses to process requests, in a bid to cut the response time from the current one second.
“The iris lens will be improved to 3-megapixels from 2-megapixels of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 to capture clearer images. The scanner will better recognize users’ irises even when they wear eyeglasses, move their eyeballs or are in a too dark or too light environment,” said a source reportedly familiar with the firm's plans.
A number of financial institutes in South Korea have adopted iris authentication to secure their respective banking applications – but most still see it as a fad. Samsung is, however, hoping the bump in security on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will convince them otherwise — finally bringing the technology into the mainstream.
Let's recap what we know about the Galaxy S9
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, for those in need of a refresher, are expected to sport a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch Infinity Display, respectively, a Snapdragon 845 processor and a pressure-sensitive Home button. They should also ship running Android 8.0 Oreo and have a repositioned fingerprint sensor on board.
