We Really Hope This Galaxy Note 8 Leak Is Wrong
Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is said to be coming in the next several weeks, and it might come with some big enhancements over last year's ill-fated model. But it might also take some unfortunate design cues from the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.
Credit: Olixar/Forbes
Casemaker Olixar is already starting to offer pre-orders on Galaxy Note 8 cases through the MobileFun website. The company, which is basing its designs on conversations it's had with people apparently in the know, show a device that looks strikingly similar to the Galaxy S8, complete with a big, curved screen that will measure 6.3 inches.
The back case, however, reveals a nasty surprise: Olixar, whose case was earlier discovered by Forbes, believes that the Galaxy Note 8 will come with a fingerprint sensor that sits directly next to the handset's rear-facing dual-lens camera.
Samsung was said to be working on getting a fingerprint sensor baked into the Galaxy S8's screen earlier this year. However, after it discovered that the technology wasn't ready, Samsung was forced to use a physical sensor. Since the company was so far down the design planning phase, it had no choice but to move the fingerprint sensor directly next to the rear-facing camera.
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The choice was one of the few panned by critics, who said that its placement made it far too easy to smudge the rear-facing camera. A similar scenario has played out with the Galaxy Note 8.
Samsung had planned to bake the fingerprint sensor into the smartphone's screen, but the company reportedly couldn't get it work properly, so it has decided to go with a physical fingerprint sensor.
However, several reports and even some leaks have suggested the fingerprint sensor would sit below the rear-facing cameras and at the center of the backplate. The Galaxy Note 8, in other words, would fix the Galaxy S8's biggest design flaw.
The Olixar case design, though, shows that Samsung has done quite the opposite and stuck with the same design concept. And once again, Galaxy Note 8 owners might be left to smudge their cameras when searching for the fingerprint sensor on the back.
We'll ultimately find out what Samsung has planned in August, when the company is expected to unveil the new handset. The Galaxy Note 8 is rumored to be hitting store shelves in late-August or early September.
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