While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 didn’t arrive with a under-display fingerprint scanner, next year’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 might arrive with a rather intriguing fingerprint sensor. According to a patent application spotted by LetsGoDigital, the upcoming Z Fold 4 might use a double-sided fingerprint sensor that will sit between the cover screen and the main screen.
This has never been done on a foldable phone so far and unlocks a rather interesting use case.
The rumored dual-sided sensor will allow the user to unlock the device by inputting their digit onto either the external or the internal display. Due to the positioning of the sensors, they will essentially be communicating with the same PCB on the mainboard of the phone, which will definitely help save some precious internal space. SamMobile points out that Samsung could go for any combination of ultrasonic and optical sensors, but neither the patent application nor any other rumor corroborate that notion.
With this new implementation, users will be able to authorize payments, unlock the device, and authenticate locked apps no matter which screen they are currently on. While the Galaxy Z Fold 3‘s snappy capacitive fingerprint scanner is as good as it gets and works great no matter which display you use, the Z Fold 3 certainly lacks the novelty appeal of a under-display fingerprint scanner.
Provided that its successor indeed arrives with such a biometric sensor, Samsung will have all the right in the world to beat itself in the chest and claim the first spot, as no other foldable phone so far has arrived with a under-display fingerprint scanner, even less so a double-sided sensor.
We’ve heard little on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 so far, which is due to the expected release of the phone in August 2022. There’s plenty of time till then and the rumor mill hasn’t started to rotate at full speed just yet. Still, we expect top-notch hardware along with an improved under-display selfie camera.
