With the Galaxy S9, Samsung put the fingerprint sensor where it belongs

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a beautiful phone with a critical flaw. The fingerprint sensor is in the wrong damn spot. A phone is only as good as its usability and, to me, the S8 is crippled with its fingerprint sensor located off center. It drives me mad but Samsung finally righted the wrong with the S9.

Samsung just announced the latest Galaxy phone and we spent some time with it. It’s very similar to the S8, which, to me, is just fine. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a lovely phone besides of course the aforementioned fingerprint sensor location.

The S8’s fingerprint sensor is to the right of the camera lens instead centered on the phone. It’s a crazy location and I’ve yet to get used to it. My finger hits the camera lens every time.

It took me sometime to get used to a back-mounted fingerprint sensor and most of the time I still appreciate TouchID’s location on my iPhone. There are some upsides to having it on the back. It’s much easier to pull the phone from a pocket and unlock it in one smooth motion. But only if the button is in the right place and it’s not on the S8.

I’m not alone. The S8’s fingerprint sensor location is universally hated. Samsung must of heard the feedback loud and clear.

Now, on the S9, the sensor is in the center of the phone and everything is right in the world. I don’t care about the new camera or Samsung’s copy of Animojis. Even the inclusion of the Snapdragon 845 is meaningless to me. All I want is an S8 with a center-mounted fingerprint sensor and the S9 is just that with a few fun extras.