Samsung Originally Designed Galaxy S8+ With Dual Cameras, Sans Physical Fingerprint Scanner

It appears Samsung originally created the larger Galaxy S8 variant, the Galaxy S8+, with dual cameras in mind. Photos of the handset’s prototypes have leaked online and they show a back camera module with two lenses. The leaked images also confirm an earlier report that Samsung placed the fingerprint sensor at the back of the Android device at the last minute.

On Monday, Android Central obtained copies of the Galaxy S8+ prototypes’ leaked photos. Based on the images, it seems the South Korea giant initially wanted to create a device with a dual-camera setup, with the lenses arranged vertically and not horizontally like what Apple did to the iPhone 7 Plus and LG did to its G6 flagship phone. As opposed to placing the LED flash and the heart rate sensor on the left side of the camera, the manufacturer may have also dabbled with the idea of placing them below the dual-camera module.

Another hard to miss detail in the leaked photos is the absence of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the S8+. This corroborates a previous report saying that Samsung placed the sensor on the right side of the camera at the last minute after failing to embed the technology into the display panel of the smartphone. IBTimes previously learned that California-based company Synaptics was the one who failed to fully develop the screen-embedded fingerprint sensor on time, so Samsung had to relocate the biometrics sensor to the back of the handset.

READ: Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. LG G6 comparison review

Android Central believes that the relocation of the fingerprint scanner may have also been the reason why Samsung switched to the single 12-megapixel back camera. Because the Infinity Display was taking up most of the space on the front panel, the company was left with no choice than to move the scanner to the back and the switch to the single-lens module was necessary to make room for it.

Nevertheless, manufacturers are known to come up with several prototypes for a single product. The leaked prototypes were likely just a few of the models Samsung was working on prior the introduction of the device at the company’s Unpacked event. For fans disappointed with the absence of dual cameras and a screen-embedded fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S8+, there is still hope for another Samsung flagship device to come with these technologies. The South Korea giant is after all planning to unveil its Galaxy Note 8 phablet within the second half of this year.