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Front, back, or sides - where do you prefer your phone's finger scanner to be? (poll results)

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: Dec 19, 2016, 7:53 AM

Recent Samsung patents and Galaxy S8 rumors hint at relocating the finger scanner to the back of the phone

The Galaxy S8 and OLED iPhone 8 are shaping up to be pretty radical departures from what millions of Samsung and Apple fans have been accustomed to so far, as they are rumored to have no physical home key with fingerprint reader embedded there. That is why we asked you last week where do you prefer the finger scanner to be on a phone - front, back, or on the sides. Each placement has its advantages and drawbacks, but the majority of our 2362 respondents chose the frontal position, followed by the back and the sides.

Samsung has apparently been toying around with different shapes and placements for the fingerprint scanner, recent patent applications suggest. While now it has it embedded in the physical home key underneath the display, its patents include both changing the shape, and relocating the scanner altogether to the back of the phone.

Now, whether these patents mean that Samsung is planning to place the fingerprint reader on the back of the Galaxy S8, as was tipped today, remains to be seen, but the demise of the home button/scanner paradigm has been heavily rumored - both for the S8, and for the iPhone 8.

Front, back or side - where do you prefer your phone's finger scanner to be?

Front

57.79%

Back

26.08%

On the sides

12.7%

Don't care, I don't use it

3.43%

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.