As a loyal Samsung fan, I have a problem with the company's flagship phones. That's the placement of the fingerprint sensor. I don't have big hands, and I can't reach the fingerprint sensor easily on the Galaxy Note 9. I have the same problem with the Galaxy S9+ and even more so with the Galaxy S8+. The regular Galaxy S9 is fine in this regard, but overall, Samsung is placing the fingerprint sensor a little too high compared to other manufacturers like Google, Huawei, and others.
A ploy to make the Galaxy S10's in-display sensor fingerprint stand out?
The funny thing is I think Samsung is now doing it on purpose. Someone at the company probably went “If we continue placing the fingerprint sensor so high, buyers will continue to complain, and then we can just release the Galaxy S10 with an in-display fingerprint sensor and act like we solved all their problems.” Samsung did the same at the Galaxy S9 announcement, mentioning consumer feedback as the reason for why the sensor was moved below the cameras. I can already imagine DJ Koh at the Galaxy S10 announcement, telling us how Samsung listed to its customers and highlighting the in-display fingerprint sensor.
And I have to be honest: I can't wait for the Galaxy S10 for the very same reason. Samsung rocks and brings us awesome hardware every year, and the software continues to improve as well. But the position of the fingerprint sensor on its flagships is just weird. Even its budget and mid-range phones have the same issue. The sensor should be closer to the middle of the device like the competition has it, with the Samsung logo placed higher up.
But Samsung probably doesn't care anymore, not with the Galaxy S10 around the corner. And I can say for sure that if the Galaxy S10 has the fingerprint sensor under the display (which is becoming more and more certain with every new rumor), I'll place a pre-order the moment I get the chance.
Results: As expected, a majority of voters are eagerly waiting for in-display fingerprint sensors, which are expected to debut next year with the Galaxy S10. 22 percent voters believe the placement is fine now, while 16 percent have just gotten used to dealing with the not-so-ideal location. 15 percent say they preferred front-facing sensors and 6 percent voters think it's bad and is hard to reach. 4 percent, meanwhile, say they don't use the fingerprint sensor anymore, which is perhaps the best solution, especially with features such as face unlock and iris recognition available on Galaxy phones these days.
