Fingerprint Sensor Under The Display Technology Goes Into Mass Production
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Dec 16, 2017
While it's quite disappointing we won't be seeing Synaptics' new in-display fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S9, we're certainly curious to see how Vivo's phone will turn out. "In-display fingerprint technology allows users to securely unlock the device in situations including while it's sitting on the table, at any angle, or while in a vehicle mount", Synaptics said. Meanwhile, Vivo hasn't given out any details on which of its new upcoming smartphones will use the technology. Even though we now know that Vivo will be the one to give us the first test of an in-display fingerprint scanner, there is still no word on which phone will be using the feature. "Synaptics' Clear ID fingerprint sensors are faster, more convenient, and more secure than alternative biometrics, and this optical technology represents a major innovation shift and opportunity for the smartphone market".
A Chinese phone maker will beat Apple to put a fingerprint reader inside the screen of its next phone.
Just a couple of days ago, we told our readers that Synaptics, a fingerprint sensor manufacturer, has announced the mass production of its optical in-display fingerprint sensors.
The Synaptics Clear ID fingerprint scanner will be able to work on any smartphone with OLED displays and it will only activate when it's needed.
That's according to analyst Patrick Moorhead, who wrote in Forbes about his experiences testing a pre-production phone with the new tech from Vivo.
Synaptics calls its solution Clear ID, and Vivo has been a prominent public advocate for in-screen fingerprint recognition dating back to the summer when the phone maker previewed the technology.
The company announced that it is going into full production with what it described as "top five original equipment manufacturers (OEM)". However, after Moorhead's tweet, it may also prove to be Vivo as it is also one of the top 5 smartphone manufacturers. The technology, "excels with wet, dry and cold fingers, and since it's protected by glass, is durable, scratchproof and waterproof".
This means that using the technology will require part of the screen to light up so that the fingerprint scanner can capture the reflection between the AMOLED pixels. The fact that the sensors are now being mass-produced is a clear indication that it will be showing up on a smartphone by next year.
