Leaked: Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ To Feature ‘Intelligent Scan’
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are poised to be the most high profile unveiling of MWC 2018. A lot is expected from the two new flagship phones in terms of new features and improved camera performance. It is fair to assume that the design of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ won’t be turning any heads. Samsung might still spring a few surprises at the launch event especially pertaining to the biometric system.
In an APK teardown of the Settings app in the latest unreleased Android Oreo beta for the Galaxy Note8, an XDA member ‘mweinbach’ has found a few strings relating to ‘Intelligent Scan’. These strings could hint at a possible Galaxy S9 feature since neither the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note8 offer such a feature.
Iris Scanner on Galaxy S8
What Is Intelligent Scan?
There isn’t much known about the feature as of now. The same XDA member has also uploaded a Samsung help graphic. It basically explains to the users how this feature works. The seven-second graphic barely gets into any details of this new feature. No mechanism or hardware enhancement has been explained in the graphic. It only showcases that with ‘Intelligent Scan’ the biometric system will work in all lighting conditions, in theory at least.
Galaxy S9, S9+ Expected Design
Apparently, the new feature is a combination of face and iris scanning. This extra layer will improve accuracy and security of the system in extremely dark or lit up environments. These are the situations where iris scanning and facial recognition systems fail. There have been reports that suggest the Samsung Galaxy S9 devices might have a 3D sensor equipped front-camera for improved biometrics.
While a feature like this will be convenient, especially for people who still don’t like rear-facing fingerprint sensors. A major issue with this authentication system is third-party support. Unlike a fingerprint sensor which uses the standard Android API, Samsung-specific authentication systems have their own APIs and implementations. This means that Intelligent Scanning will only be used for unlocking a device but, in-app support for things like banking might not be available. Something that Face ID on the iPhone X does well.
