Samsung presents tablet with iris scanner in India

Samsung has announced its first mobile product with iris scanner in India. The Galaxy Tab Iris includes an iris scanner on the back. There have been rumors for some time that Samsung is working on iris scanners and now it appears to be true.

The iris scanner is useless as authentication for unlocking the device, because the system sits on the back next to the regular camera. Instead, it is intended for officials who can use the tablet to identify citizens, Samsung writes. For that, it works with Aadhaar, India’s ‘civil service number’ system.

The iris scanner is believed to be the result of a license to a US technology and can identify people by either one or both irises. The scanner works with an infrared emitter and a camera that can detect this. Samsung has put an SDK online for Indian developers. It works with the tablet, but also with Aadhar. The Galaxy Tab Iris is not the first mobile product with an iris scanner. Microsoft’s Lumia 950 and 950 XL also have that feature.

The tablet has been in development for a long time. The type number, SM-T116, already appeared in various listings at the end of 2014 and the device also runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. In addition, there is a menu button on the front, something that Samsung hasn’t done on its Android devices for a while.

The Galaxy Tab Iris has a 7″ LCD with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. The tablet runs on a quad-core SOC with a maximum clock speed of 1.2GHz, presumably a Speadtrum. Samsung has added 1.5GB of memory, while the tablet has a storage of 8GB and a battery of 3600mAh.

The tablet will only be for sale in India for 13,499 rupees, converted about 185 euros. It is unknown whether the manufacturer will also use the iris scanner for other devices.