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New Video Compares Fingerprint Scanning On iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5

New Video Compares Fingerprint Scanning On iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5

April 4, 2014

Samsung has added a fingerprint scanner to its flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, but how does it compare against the iPhone 5s handset’s Touch ID? For those wondering, one new video offers a direct head-to-head comparison of both fingerprint scanners, and the results are definitely interesting.

As a reminder, while Apple of course debuted Touch ID with its iPhone 5s, Samsung brought a fingerprint scanner to its Galaxy S5 that’s surprisingly different in terms of how it captures scans. Rather than holding a finger against the handset’s Home button, Galaxy S5 users must “swipe” a print down across the button in order to prompt the smartphone to capture a fingerprint.

How does this method hold up in real world use? Check out Tanner Marsh’s new video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3C6OW8eMGk

If you can’t see the above video, please click this link.

The Galaxy S5 might offer fingerprint integration with PayPal, but using the scanner seems to be more troublesome than scanning with Touch ID. Though Apple’s fingerprint scanner has suffered its share of problems, Samsung’s setup requires users to swipe a fingerprint across the entire width of the Home button in order for a scan to be made; as Marsh notes, this could prove difficult for users with smaller fingers.

Samsung’s fingerprint scanner also means users have to hold the smartphone in one hand while unlocking via a fingerprint, and this is definitely inconvenient. On the other hand, the nature of Touch ID makes it possible for users to perform scans at any angle.

We’re expecting Apple to further improve Touch ID later this year, and this could take the shape of a mobile payments-style service powered by the fingerprint scanner. Tim Cook appeared to hint at this during a conference call earlier this year.

We’ll keep you updated with further information as we receive it.

In the meantime, for more of our recent news, see: Rovio Updates Angry Birds Star Wars II With Galactic Giveaway And More, Greenpeace Blimp Praises Apple, Google For ‘Building A Greener Internet’, and Facebook Pages Manager 3.0 Introduces New Features For Page Admins.

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