Samsung Galaxy S10 release date, specs rumors 2018: To launch at CES 2019 & feature in-display fingerprint reader

Only a few months after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, several reports have already surfaced regarding the South Korean tech giant's next flagship device. Dubbed as the Samsung Galaxy S10, it is believed to sport groundbreaking specs and features, given that the popular Galaxy S series will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year. For one, the Galaxy S10 is rumored to introduce an in-display fingerprint reader.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus showcased at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in BarcelonaREUTERS/Sergio Perez

As covered by CNET, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is reported to introduce a lot of new features that even Apple's iPhone X has yet to offer. The top of the list is the in-display fingerprint scanner technology, a feature that was initially expected to be included in the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Earlier reports suggested that the under-screen biometric reader will be present at the next-generation Note phablet this year, but it looks like the current state of technology is not yet ready for mass production.

To note, the fascination with in-display fingerprint reader technology began at the Consumers Electronic Show (CES) 2018 last January, wherein Oppo introduced a breakthrough feature called Fingerprint On Display (FOD), which will allow the handset's screen to scan fingerprints.

The South Korean online tech publication The Bell hints that Samsung has given the Galaxy S10 the codename "Beyond." Furthermore, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is expected to focus on full facial recognition technology as well, in spite of the hardware also having an in-display fingerprint reader.

The latest leaks suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S10 will finally use a 3D front-facing sensor to accurately read the user's facial features. Still, Samsung has yet to comment regarding these rumored features.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 was tipped to have an earlier launch date than its predecessors. This time around, the Galaxy S10 will be announced at the Consumers Electronic Show (CES) 2019, to be held in January. The reason for the earlier announcement is due to Samsung's other top-tier gizmo, the foldable Galaxy X handset, which is rumored to arrive at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona.