I had two Samsung flagship phones, one (S20FE) had an optical fingerprint reader and the other (S22) had an ultrasonic one. Both of them somewhat regularly failed to read my finger, were slower than a fingerprint reader on the power button and are more expensive/complex to build. They won’t work with cheap 3rd party screen replacements and some screen protectors as well.
Meanwhile my $90 Android phone has a fingerprint reader on the power button. It never fails and I never have to perfectly place my finger on the sensor area to get it to work. It just seems like the perfect place to put a fingerprint sensor, so why do phone manufacturers keep using in-display fingerprint readers over the cheaper alternative?
Agreed completely. I have an S23 rn, but my previous phone was a mid-tier android with a fingerprint reader on the back. My natural resting grip on my phone would just unlock the thing. It was amazing. My current phone is a clear upgrade in every way except the fingerprint reader. My new one has it in the screen and I fuckin hate it.