Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Smartphone Widely Expected To Feature Iris Scanner

Samsung’s next-generation phablet, dubbed the Galaxy Note 7, is widely expected to feature a new biometric security measure called the “iris scanner,” a report said Sunday, citing a product listing on Zauba — a website that tracks India’s import and export.

According to the listing, a camera for an iris scanner was apparently imported from Vietnam for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with the model number SM-N930F, Phone Arena reported.

The latest information follows a set of leaked images of the Galaxy Note7, purportedly showing the iris scanner in action. The images showed that a Galaxy Note 7 user will have to hold the handset about 10 inches to 14 inches away from their face with the phone’s screen facing toward them. In order to run the iris recognition process, the user will have to position his/her eyes in such a way that they are pointing directly toward the two circles displayed on the screen.

Last month, Patently Mobile reported about a new Samsung patent, which outlines the way an iris scanner works. While the future Galaxy Note may be the first device to include the new iris processing system, the company clearly mentioned that the feature could apply to a wide range of products like laptops, tablets, smartphones, wearables, IoT devices, digital cameras and more.

“In various embodiments, the iris recognition system employs three lenses to capture the image signal, and then checks the iris of the user based on the image generated as well as other information,” the Samsung patent filing said.

However, it’s unlikely that the South Korean conglomerate will ditch the existing fingerprint scanner in favor of an iris scanner so soon. Instead, the upcoming Galaxy Note 7 could feature the iris scanner along with a fingerprint scanner embedded inside its home button.

According to reports, the iris scanner could prove really useful as a new biometric security measure that will be much better than the existing fingerprint sensors.

The Galaxy Note 7 is expected to be powered by the company’s own Exynos 8893 processor in developing markets and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor in bigger markets like the U.S.

In addition, the device could also feature a 5.7-inch QHD curved Super AMOLED display, a USB Type-C port on the bottom, 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage, a large 4,000mAh battery, an upgraded S-Pen with improved Bluetooth LE hardware, a 12-megapixel primary camera, a 5-megapixel secondary camera and IP68 certification.

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note 7 on Aug. 2 during an event named “7 Unpacked.” The event will be held in New York City at 11:00 a.m. EDT and there will also be satellite events taking place simultaneously in London and Rio de Janeiro.