Among the many anticipated Galaxy S8 features, the fingerprint scanner is probably the most criticized part of the phone. Apparently, since the S8 is allegedly shifting to an all-display look, the home button will be ditched, thus, transferring the fingerprint sensor elsewhere. In this case, the Galaxy S8's fingerprint scanner is reportedly positioned at the back of the device.
While a transferred fingerprint scanner shouldn't exactly pose a problem in a normal smartphone, in phablets as big as the Galaxy S flagship, this could lead to a slight user discomfort. A Forbes report detailed on this matter, saying that the Galaxy S8 "better have" an eye scanner to make up for the hard-to-reach fingerprint sensor. They're not talking about a regular eye scanner either. The report said that the Galaxy S8 should have a fast and easy-to-use eye scanning technology to compensate for the awkwardly positioned fingerprint scanner.
Samsung already introduced its eye scanner back in the discontinued Note 7. However, it was more of a novelty feature rather than an actual reliable identification scanner. It was multi-step and requires the user to position the phone "just right" to ensure that the technology would work. Note 7's eye scanner needed the user to press the power button, swipe up and put the phone up in front of the face to get the eye scanning done right. With that said, it has become clear that eye scanners can never be as fast-acting as regular fingerprint scanners.
With Samsung's decision to put the finger-sensor at the rear, many mobile experts and enthusiasts react negatively. TomsGuide says that the fingerprint sensor is in "worst location" while DroidLife says that the new location is "dumb". Mashable then described the said design as "awful". Nevertheless, they have an explanation why. Allegedly, Samsung wanted to use a display-embedded scanner on the Galaxy S8. However, its supplier ran out of time to deliver the said tech product.
