The Galaxy S10 Will Have the Feature We've All Been Waiting For

We've been waiting years now for a Samsung smartphone to ship with a in-screen fingerprint sensor. And it appears we're finally closing in on it.

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Because next year's Galaxy S is the company's 10th anniversary edition, Samsung wants to bundle all the latest and greatest features inside it, according to a new report. And to achieve that, the company will need to bundle an in-screen fingerprint sensor in the Galaxy S10, according to SamMobile, which cited a Chosun report.

Along with that, Samsung has apparently decided to tell its supplier partners that it will delay releasing a virtual fingerprint sensor option in this year's Galaxy Note 9. Instead, the company will stick with a physical sensor move to the in-display sensor when the Galaxy S10 launches in 2019.

MORE: Samsung Galaxy S10 Rumors: Everything You Need to Know

According to the report, Samsung has developed a technology that will sit inside the display and uses ultrasonic technology to analyze a fingerprint and compare it to the fingerprint on file. In order to do that, the technology beams an ultrasonic pulse at the fingerprint to analyze pores and ridges, SamMobile said, citing the report. The feature essentially creates a 3D model of your fingerprint that allows for far more accuracy and security compared to a 2D sensor.

The technology will be far more accurate that the in-screen sensors from other Android vendors that use an optical sensor to analyze a fingerprint, according to the report.

While it's nice to hear Samsung moving forward with this security feature, it will disappoint those who had hoped to see the technology in this year's Galaxy Note 9. Indeed, there were several rumors suggesting an in-screen fingerprint sensor was on the way to the Galaxy Note 9, though those reports cautioned Samsung could ultimately pull the plug on the feature and opt for a traditional physical sensor instead.

The report that Samsung's Galaxy S10 will get all the new goodies follows a report last week that said the Galaxy Note 9 will be nearly identical to last year's Galaxy Note 8. It appears now that that report might indeed be accurate.

Look for much more on the Galaxy S10 — and the possible fingerprint sensor — in the coming months. Samsung's Galaxy S10 is slated to launch in early 2019.

Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.