By
Mayowa Adebajo
April 3rd, 2023
The new Galaxy S8 may become the first device to use facial-recognition technology for mobile payments verification.
The release of Samsung Galaxy S8 is scheduled for March 29. But now and then some new details about the device leak in press. Earlier this month, the image of Galaxy S8 became available thanks to Evan Blass, professional leaker who is responsible for a good chunk of the mobile phone leaks.
The leaked picture shows a redesigned Galaxy phone with habitual wrap-around screen of the Galaxy S7 edge but without physical buttons. The bezel is smaller than past models, taking up just a tiny bit of the top and bottom of the device.
This time, it was reported that Samsung decided to add cutting-edge security to stand out from rivals such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone and provided new Galaxy S8 with facial-recognition technology for mobile payments.
The Galaxy S8 will use fingerprint, iris and facial detection to verify users accessing mobile services including Samsung Pay. Reportedly, Samsung is already working with banks to help them embrace facial recognition systems in coming months.
Samsung hasn’t commented the information so far. But if it is true, Galaxy S8 will be the first device using facial-recognition technology for financial payment applications verification. Previous Galaxy phones offered users only to unlock their phones with facial recognition.
As far as the security issue is taking on greater importance among customers, Samsung has been working to bolster its facial detection rate over the years. Together, Iris and facial detection capabilities enable reaching the highest level of security – phones can rely on iris detection when there’s not enough ambient light to recognize facial features. But the smartphone unlocks faster and with more accuracy when it comes to recognizing faces.
Commercial success of Galaxy S8 is crucial for Samsung to save the reputation after the arrest of chief Jay Y. Lee over the corruption scandal and the mess with fire-prone Note 7 when company had to kill off devices, which cost it more than $6 billion.
Samsung has prepared some other features to differentiate its most expensive phone in a field now crowded with up-and-coming rivals. Reportedly, Galaxy S8 phone will come with Samsung’s own voice-based Siri-like digital assistant. However, that was developed largely in-house and the first version of the software won’t borrow much from Viv Labs Inc., the U.S.-based artificial-intelligence software company acquired by Samsung in October.
It is interesting that for the first time the leaked information and picture of Galaxy S8 appeared in media on the last day of Mobile World Congress, the largest mobile phone trade show in the world. Samsung used to unveil the last three Galaxy phones at the conference but this year it only announced just two tablets – the Android-powered Galaxy Tab S3 and the Windows 10-powered Galaxy Book. According to the company, a special event dedicated to the Galaxy S8 will be held in NYC in late March.
