Samsung may be looking to beat Apple's new Touch ID fingerprint-scanning solution with its next Galaxy smartphone, launching the Galaxy S5 with eye-scanning technology.

The Galaxy S5 is the next hotly-anticipated flagship smartphone from Samsung and word has it that it may sport an eye-scanning sensor. Security is a great concern for today's smartphone users and companies are scrambling for solutions to protect their customers' devices and data.

Apple's Touch ID fingerprint scanner that launched with its new iPhone 5S, however, created a lot of controversy. While some were happy to get some extra security when unlocking their smartphones, others expressed concerns of having their fingerprints stored and potentially shared with the government. Eye-scanning technology for unlocking smartphones would be a step forward from fingerprint-scanning sensors such as the Touch ID.

The news of an eye-scanning sensor in the Galaxy S5 comes from AndroidSaS, the same publication that previously said the next Galaxy flagship smartphone would debut at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC), during Feb. 24 - 27.

"Until now there is no information about the specifications of the Galaxy S5 but according to our sources and Korean reports, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will feature an Eye-Scanning unlock capability which lets users unlock their Samsung Galaxy S5 via scanning their eyes," AndroidSaS reports.

Samsung has reportedly started working on this purported eye-scanning sensor already. If the Galaxy S5 will indeed boast this new technology, we could see the eye-scanning smartphone sometime next year, with other companies likely following Samsung's lead after the Galaxy S5's launch.

No information is currently available on how this eye-scanning sensor would work. For now, Apple and HTC have introduced fingerprint sensors in their latest flagships, but it would not be such a big surprise if Samsung decided to move past this and do things its own way. The company has never been shy to try out new things and many may find eye-scanning technology preferable to fingerprint scanners.

Keep in mind, however, that Samsung has not even confirmed working on a Galaxy S5 for now, let alone such eye-scanning sensors. This means that it's all in the rumor state for now, so it is advisable to take things with a grain of salt until more information becomes available.