Samsung Galaxy S5’s entire screen could be a fingerprint scanner

The Samsung Galaxy S5 launch is just over two weeks away, but that’s not stopping the rumour mill from teasing us all on a daily basis.

The latest rumour comes courtesy of iTechAddict’s ‘Samsung insider’ who claims that the Galaxy S5’s screen itself will act as a fingerprint scanner.

That’s right. Unlike the iPhone 5s‘ Touch ID Home button or the HTC One Max‘s rear scanner, the Galaxy S5 will be able to scan your fingerprints with the screen itself, allowing you to unlock the device and potentially authorise transactions.

While it sounds like wistful future gazing, we’ve come across a paper from the University of Houston which proves that the technology is definitely feasible. The study discusses advances in transparent fingerprint sensors which can be integrated into TFT touchscreens.

The latest report is a world away from the last report we heard, mind you, which suggested that Samsung’s scanning tech isn’t as mature as the iPhone 5s’.

But if the new rumours prove to be true then the Galaxy S5, with its 2,560 x 1,440 QHD screen, 3GB of RAM and Exynos 6/Snapdragon 805 innards will be the most advanced smartphone in the world when it’s revealed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy S5: specs, release date, price – everything we know

[iTechAddict via TechSpot, image credit: Concept Phones]

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.