Samsung is reportedly planning to equip its next-generation Galaxy S6 flagship smartphone with a larger, touch-based fingerprint sensor, as opposed to its current swipe-based sensors.

While Samsung did not pioneer the whole fingerprint sensor trend for smartphones, its solution was widely considered one of the best on the market. The first Samsung handset to feature a fingerprint reader was the Galaxy S5, followed by other devices such as the Galaxy S5 Mini, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note 4, and Galaxy Note Edge.

So far, Samsung has used swipe-based fingerprint sensors for its devices, but many believed it was poorly designed. With its next-generation Galaxy S6, however, the company reportedly plans to move to a touch-based fingerprint sensor, which should notably improve its accuracy and make it easier to use. The news comes from SamMobile, which cites reliable sources.

"Highly credible sources tell SamMobile that Samsung is ditching the swipe-based fingerprint sensor for a touch-based sensor for its next generation Galaxy S device. Furthermore, the sensor will work in the same manner as on the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 and the iPhone 5S / 6 / 6 Plus, sources confirm. Which means you will be able to enroll an entire fingerprint, unlike the swipe-based sensor, which only partially registered a fingerprint," the publication reports.

SamMobile further notes that the new touch-based sensor set to grace the Galaxy S6 would still be built into the home button of the handset, but Samsung reportedly made the home button slightly bigger than that of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4. According to the report, this makes the experience "flawless."

A touch-based sensor would be far easier to use and provide more accuracy, which would in turn boost the security of the device. Swipe-based fingerprint sensors require the user to move their finger vertically so a larger portion of the fingerprint is scanned and registered, and the process can be cumbersome at times. Touch-based fingerprint sensors, meanwhile, requite the user to simply place their finger on the sensor, with no additional hassle. The difference may sound small, but it's quite significant in practice - touch-based fingerprint sensors are much faster to use and require fewer attempts to unlock the device with the authorized fingerprint.

"With the new touch-based sensor, you wouldn't have to swipe your finger on the sensor anymore; instead, you would just place your fingertip on the home key - at any angle - then lift it off, and that's it," adds SamMobile.

Lastly, the report further claims that although Samsung plans to change the technology for the Galaxy S6 fingerprint sensor, it will retain the software that goes along with it. That means the Galaxy S6 fingerprint reader will still sport popular features such as Pay with PayPal (see image above), which allows users to sign into their PayPal account from mobile simply by scanning their fingerprint.