A new report from Korea points to Samsung using a higher resolution iris scanner on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The new iris scanner on the device will feature a 3MP resolution compared to the 2MP one found on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8.

The improved resolution and better camera lens will allow the iris scanner to easily recognise users with spectacles or when they are in a too dark or too dim environment. The overall unlock time will also be reduced to less than a second.

“The iris camera lens will be improved to 3 megapixels from 2 megapixels of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 to capture clearer images. The scanner will better recognize users’ irises even when they wear eyeglasses, move their eyeballs or are in a too dark or too light environment,” the source added.

In addition to a higher resolution iris scanner, Samsung is also improving its software to make the scanner more accurate and safer.

The Korean company is also looking to bring its iris scanner to its budget models by late 2018 or early 2019 as it aims to replace physical banks with mobile banking.

A Samsung spokesperson said, “Iris scanner is the safest biometric authentication (among iris, fingerprint and face recognition) and we will continue to improve the system for upcoming smartphones for safer banking transactions,” without disclosing any detailed specifications of Galaxy S9.

Samsung had first introduced iris scanner on the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. While the company managed to introduce a touchless form of biometric authentication before Apple, the company’s implementation leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accuracy and response time. The use of a higher resolution iris scanner on the Galaxy S9 and an improved software should hopefully lead to improvements in these areas.