The trend for 2017 has been bezel less phones. While it is great that the screen-to-body ratios are increasing and unnecessary areas are being trimmed, this causes a problem that many are not happy with. This is the loss of the front facing fingerprint scanner.
Due to the reduction of bezels, the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back. This has given mixed results, to say the least. On phone such as the Pixel 2, it has worked well. However, the same can not be said about devices like the Samsung S8.
US biometrics company Synaptics has announced that it has perfected an in-display fingerprint sensor. It further added that it is now in mass production in partnership with “a top five OEM”. The tech is dubbed Clear ID.
How does the Synaptics in-display fingerprint sensor work?
When used, the fingerprint sensor will be put below the display. It is apparently capable of recognizing a fingerprint “twice as fast as 3D facial recognition and requires only one touch to access your smartphone.”
Synaptics further added that this scanner will be able to work in both wet and dr conditions. They also come with anti spoof technology and AES encryption. The screen gives another layer of protection and will prevent scratches and other physical damages.
Of course, Synaptics is not the first company to release the tech. Qualcomm beat the company to that title few months ago. Hwoever, the big deal here is that it is already being mass produced and will appear in one OEMs device.
According to Patrick Moorhead, a tech industry analyst, the OEM in question is said to be Vivo.
Moorhead wrote for the following for Forbes
“THE CLEAR ID EXPERIENCE WAS FAST AND SIMPLE- I PRESSED THE RIGHT SIDE BUTTON TO WAKE, A FINGERPRINT IMAGE ILLUMINATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PHONE, I TOUCHED IT, AND IT LET ME IN. I AM EXPECTING VIVO TO MODIFY THE EXPERIENCE, SO I JUST HAVE TO “HOLD TO WAKE” SO I DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO USE THE BUTTON.”
Source: https://techviral.uk/science/synaptics-announced-display-fingerprint-sensor/