The Galaxy S11's fingerprint scanner might crush the Galaxy S10's

It'll be harder to miss the in-display fingerprint scanner 

Industry sources speaking to The Elec (viaSamMobile) earlier this month revealed Samsung is currently in discussions with a range of suppliers about the Galaxy S11 lineup. These include Taiwan-based GIS who produces in-display modules based on the sensors it receives from Qualcomm.

According to the report, Samsung’s main focus at the moment with regards to the fingerprint sensor is increasing the Active Area Dimension (AAD), which is the area of display that can recognize a fingerprint. The AAD on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 measures in at 36 square millimeters but on 2020’s Galaxy S11 it could increase dramatically to 64 square millimeters. This means the entire fingerprint scanning process should be much more convenient because it’ll be harder to miss the sweet spot. 

To accompany this, Samsung will most likely make some improvements to the overall accuracy and speed of its ultrasonic scanners. In their current form, these allow bezels to be reduced drastically but ultimately still lag behind traditional capacitive scanners such as the one found on the Galaxy S10e. 

As the sources speaking to The Elec confirmed, smartphones will eventually feature fingerprint scanners that cover the majority of the display. Supplier GIS already has a prototype with an AAD of 600 square millimeters and it may enter production within the next few of years.

The Galaxy S11 is largely expected to build upon the design language introduced by this year’s Galaxy S10 series. Coupled with the larger fingerprint scanner should be an upgraded Infinity-O display which boasts slimmer side bezels, a thinner forehead, and a reduced chin. Additionally, to help make the selfie cameras less noticeably, the punch hole may shrink a little. 

It’s unclear at this stage if Samsung has any design changes planned for the rear, but regardless of what happens, the setup should include extra cameras. Specifically, the Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+ will reportedly inherit Time-of-Flight sensors while the Galaxy S11e may gain access to a third telephoto zoom camera just like its premium siblings. 

This new setup will apparently be paired with a new feature that’s pretty similar to the Deep Fusion function coming to the iPhone 11 Pro later this year. The latter uses four images taken with a fast exposure, another four that are taken before the shutter button is even pressed, and the typical photo that’s produced when tapping the button. In just one second, all nine images are analyzed and fused together to create a superior image. 

The Pixel 3’s HDR+ mode follows a similar process but it takes 15 shots and averages out the exposures for the final photo. Apple’s final result is completely controlled by the neural engine which theoretically means the final shots should be better.

The Samsung Galaxy S11 series is expected to debut in late February at a standalone Unpacked event. If Samsung continues with its 2019 schedule, the announcement may take place on Wednesday, February 19. Pre-orders will likely begin on Friday, February 21 ahead of shipments on Friday, March 6.

As mentioned above, the Galaxy S11 lineup is expected to include three smartphones – the Galaxy S11, Galaxy S11+, and Galaxy S11e – however recent rumors suggest Samsung may be ditching the Galaxy Note series. If this happens, the larger Galaxy S11+ may incorporate an S Pen for the first time.