On December 12th, Synaptics announced that it was finally ready to start mass-producing the first-ever fingerprint sensor that's hidden underneath a smartphone display. Synaptics initially said that this technology would first be available on a smartphone from one of the "top 5" OEMs, and we now know that that OEM is none other than Vivo.
Just pick your phone up, touch the display where you see the illuminated fingerprint, and it will automatically unlock the phone. The fingerprint icon then disappears and can be customized based on OEM customization. According to Synaptics, the sensor will even function properly with wet, dry, or even cold fingers. Though Synaptics is not the first company to develop this technology, however, the company claims to mass produce their product to compete with the big companies.
© Qualcomm
In a post for Forbes, analyst Patrick Moorhead detailed his experience with a pre-production Vivo phone equipped with the technology. Moorhead describes the sensor as “fast and simple,” while Synaptics claims it's twice as fast as 3D facial recognition like Apple's Face ID. Vivo is said to use a 0.7 mm CMOS image sensor underneath the OLED display to read a fingerprint.
In terms of the security, Moorhead has also clarified that Synaptics has built-in a separate encryption module to the Clear ID sensor while also allowing the hardware to interact with the phone's processor and authenticate the fingerprint.
© PatrickMoorhead
Apple may have ditched Touch ID for the new fancy facial recognition but there have been many instances where researchers were able to hack the security system. Fingerprint scanning based security systems are not going anywhere anytime soon and it seems like Synaptics is making sure of it. Samsung's upcoming flagship Galaxy S9 smartphone was previously speculated to be the first device to come with the under-display fingerprint reader.
© Qualcomm
The latest report comes months after Vivo actually showcased a concept device with an in-screen fingerprint scanner at MWC Shanghai this year. The concept device used an ultrasonic sensor underneath the screen surface.
We don't know exactly when Vivo's phone will land, but Synaptics has said in its press release that it will
soon be announced, so we might see it early next year – perhaps at CES 2018 or MWC 2018.
0 Comments
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.