Fingerprint readers have become a staple on our smartphones at this point. Even the affordable flagships out there in the world support the function, which not only adds another layer of security to our most important devices, but also makes paying for things on our phones quick and easy.
Being able to quickly jump into our device, without dealing with a lock screen if we don’t want to, or entering a passcode, is another benefit as well. It’s a great feature, for a variety of reasons, and while Samsung already tried to introduce eye scanning as another option, it’s likely that the fingerprint sensor is going to stick around for quite some time.
So, like any other physical area on a phone, placement is important.
Apple really kicked things off with its Touch ID sensor, which has been placed in the same spot since its debut a few years ago. It’s right there in the Home button (which isn’t a button anymore), below the display. For anyone who has used an iPhone for any length of time, this placement probably feels perfect, simply because muscle memory has made that Home button feel great in daily use.
I’m one of those folks. I’ve been using Touch ID for what feels like a long time now, and the placement of the fingerprint sensor feels just fine. I don’t have any complaints. At least, I didn’t until I got my hands on the Pixel XL.
The Pixel lineup isn’t the first family of phones to have the fingerprint sensor on the back, but, for me, it’s the first phone I’ve really used as a daily driver to try it out. Simply put, for most instances, the fingerprint sensor on the back is pretty great. It’s comfortable and easy to locate.
Plus, Google’s made it even better with its “Moves” feature, but that’s for another day.
There’s another option, too, though: On the side. A few different manufacturers have made this possible, like the Nextbit Robin, or even Sony with its Xperia Z5 Compact. They integrate the fingerprint sensor right into the Power button, so as long as that button is easy and comfortable to find on the side, so is the fingerprint reader.
Which leads me to the question, because I don’t think any specific method is perfect: Where do you think is the best place for the fingerprint reader to be? On the front, on the back, or on the side? Let me know!