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Pantech reveals fingerprint-scanning smartphone

Designed to take full advantage of South Korea's superfast LTE-A network, which offers mobile internet connection speeds well in advance of anything that existing LTE and 4G networks in other parts of the world have to offer, the Pantech Vega LTE-A looks to have beaten the rumored next iPhone to the punch by coming complete with an embedded fingerprint scanner.

The biometric reader is built into the phone's rear panel, as is a small touchpad for unlocking the device. An interesting idea in theory but how it will work in practice is anyone's guess.

Interestingly, LG's latest flagship phone, scheduled to be officially unveiled on Wednesday, will also sport control buttons on its back panel, suggesting that a new trend may well be emerging in smartphone design and operation.

As one would expect from a flagship device aimed at the Korean market, the smartphone packs a serious processing and performance punch. It has a 2.3Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, 3100mAh battery, and a 13-megapixel rear-camera all tucked in behind a whopping 5.5-inch HD display. South Korean company Pantech also claims that with a completely drained battery, the phone can be fully recharged in just 94 minutes.

Since Apple's acquisition of biometric scanner company AuthenTec in 2012, reports have been circulating that the company is about to add fingerprint recognition technology to its mobile devices, starting with the next iPhone, expected to launch at some point in September. Biometric data, such as fingerprints and voice analysis are widely expected to replace traditional passwords and security measures for online user authentication.

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