Daily Authority: ???? Side-mounted scanners for the win

????Good morning! Welcome to this rather rainy Tuesday morning edition of the Daily Authority. Last weekend I made bacon-wrapped dates for the first time, and if you’ve never tried them, you’re missing out.

Fingerprint scanner style sussed

Our own Robert Triggs already weighed in on the issue, and here’s which fingerprint scanner he prefers over all others. So are you a fan of the Sony Xperia 1 IV‘s capacitive side-mounted fingerprint scanner, do you prefer the Asus Zenfone 9‘s biometric reader, or is the Pixel 6a‘s under-display fingerprint sensor more to your liking?

• Over 2,600 of you voted in our poll.
• The overwhelming majority — 48% — said they prefer a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
• Next up, 27% of you went for in-display fingerprint scanners.
• Only 22% of those who voted preferred a back-mounted fingerprint sensor.
• Then there were the 4% of respondents who don’t use fingerprint scanning at all.

Personal preference

In the comments, it seemed like this issue divides our readers:

• Some readers pointed out that a side-mounted scanner is ideal in every situation — while they weren’t totally against rear-mounted fingerprint scanners, the latter wasn’t practical when your phone’s mounted to a bike or car.
• Others commented that they rarely used the power key on their phone, so they found an in-display scanner more practical.
• And there seems to be a general agreement between the lefties among us that side-mounted fingerprint scanners aren’t great for left-handed users, with in-display or back-mounted sensors the winning choice for lefties.
• For other readers, speed and reliability were the most important factors when it comes to fingerprint scanners. If the scanner works well and is fast, its location isn’t all that important.
• The style of phone is definitely a consideration too — side-mounted fingerprint scanners make the most sense on foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 4, for example.

What the AA team think

This wouldn’t be a full picture without asking some Android Authority team members their thoughts, and here’s what they had to say:

Adamya Sharma: “I am so used to face unlock now, but if I had to, I’d go for a side-mounted sensor just because it seems the most convenient location for it.”

Hadlee Simons: “In years gone by, I was a rear fingerprint scanner fan. Yes, yes, you can’t reach the scanner when the phone is flat on a table, but it makes life much easier when your phone is in your pocket. I also loved the various rear fingerprint scanner gestures we got, starting with Huawei and Xiaomi and then continuing with the likes of Google and Samsung. It’s taken a long time for me to move away from Team Physical Fingerprint Scanner, but that happened in 2022 when I reviewed the Vivo X80 Pro with its gigantic ultrasonic in-display scanner. Even Oppo’s Reno 8 Pro had a great, fast in-display scanner.”

Nick Fernandez: “I haven’t used anything except an in-display fingerprint reader on my daily driver in years, but if I could, I’d give it up in a heartbeat. It’s slow, and although the tech is getting better, the placement isn’t very convenient, especially for larger devices.”

Rita El Khoury: “I wish manufacturers would offer two options in the same phone, such as facial recognition and a fingerprint scanner. I don’t imagine that it’s much more expensive to do that.”

Personally, I must admit to being somebody that doesn’t use the fingerprint scanner all that often, but when I do, I always seem to have ended up with phones that use in-display fingerprint readers. Though, I have to agree with Nick, the placement isn’t very convenient.

It may sound like the plot of a sci-fi movie, but on Sunday night, just before midnight, a mysterious metal “orb” with a secret code emblazoned on it fell from the sky and landed on a tree in Veracruz, Mexico.

• Intrigue on social media and across local media was high.
• Meteorologist Isidro Cano Luna shared the news on his Facebook page, calling on the Mexican Navy to study the orb, which he said may have “valuable information inside.”
• There’s speculation this could be part of the Chinese rocket that crashed into Earth over the weekend.
• Supposedly, the device, which is “composed of seven alloys,” was removed shortly after by highly trained personnel with specialized equipment.

But there’s been no further update…

Have a great rest of your day!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.