If the fingerprint scanner was the fad three years ago thanks to the iPhone 5s making it cool again then Samsung may have just started such a trend when it included an iris scanner in its exploding (sorry, I just couldn’t help it) Galaxy Note 7 (never mind that the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950XL also have the feature that takes advantage of Windows Hello). Huawei is tipped to be including the feature in its upcoming phablet, the Mate 9.
Like the fingerprint scanner, the iris scanner’s main function is security (it is actually more secure than using fingerprints). It is used to authenticate users before they gain access to the device by using the iris sensor to scan a user’s eyes by shining an infrared ray of light. At least that is how the Galaxy Note 7’s infrared scanner works, in a nutshell (they have a lengthy write up on the same on their website which you can check out for more detailed information).
Whether Huawei will go the Samsung route as far as implementing the iris scanner goes is something we’ll have to wait and see. The company already deploys some of the fastest fingerprint scanners on its devices (the P9 is really fast!).
Other rumoured specifications of the device that is expected to be unveiled in early November include 20-megapixel dual-cameras, a choice of either 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB, 128GB and 256GB (for the 6 gig RAM model) storage options, a Kirin 960 SoC and a revamped version (5) of Emotion UI based on Android 7.0 Nougat.
Since it is over a year and a half since Huawei announced the gorgeous Huawei Watch, isn’t it about time it got an upgrade? That is said to be on the way. The second generation Huawei Watch will reportedly be bundled with the 6GB RAM Mate 9 while available as an option for the other models.
