MobileWorldCongress2014

Latest

  • Samsung Galaxy S5 might come with a fingerprint sensor

    by 
    Mariella Moon
    Mariella Moon
    02.18.2014

    Folks excited to buy a Galaxy S5 so they can authenticate with their eyeballs and feel like Ethan Hunt might be in for a disappointment. According to Sammobile, Samsung's upcoming flagship will come with a fingerprint sensor -- one that's embedded on the home button à la iPhone 5S. If this report is true, however, that's about the extent of the scanners' similarities, as S5's is supposed to be markedly different and more sophisticated. Users reportedly need to swipe their finger from base to tip across the button (their print will appear on the screen as they swipe), and authentication will fail if their hands are wet. The phone can store up to eight fingerprints for different purposes, such as to launch particular apps or verify their Samsung accounts. Some of these stored fingerprints can also be used to access two new features called Personal Folder and Private Mode, where users can keep apps, widgets and files for their eyes only. We obviously won't know for sure until Samsung launches the Galaxy S5: thankfully, we might only have to wait a few more days to find out if any of these claims are even close to being real.