While Apple and Samsung are expected to be the first companies to release smartphones in the market with embedded fingerprint scanners in their display, Qualcomm today went ahead and announced the first commercially available fingerprint scanner that can be integrated into a display. A successor to the company’s Sense ID fingerprint technology which allowed the fingerprint scanner to be placed under the display’s cover glass, Fingerprint Sensor for Display can scan through OLED display stacks of up to 1200um. This means that the fingerprint sensor will not work on smartphones that make use of an LCD display. In addition to Fingerprint Sensor for Display, there’s also Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal that can scan through 800um of cover glass and 650um of aluminium, respectively.
Since Qualcomm’s Fingerprint Sensors are capacitive in nature and make use of ultrasonic waves, they will work under water where traditional fingerprint scanners usually fail. They will also work even when the display is off and one does not need to necessarily turn the display on to initiate the scanning process. Additionally, the fingerprint sensor can also be used to measure one’s heartbeat and blood flow. Qualcomm’s Fingerprint Sensors will be available as an integrated solution for its Snapdragon Mobile Platform, as well as in standalone form factor so that they can be implemented by other OEMs. The Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal are currently compatible with the company’s Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 660 Mobile Platforms, with all future Snapdragon Mobile Platforms supporting the sensors for display, glass, and metal. Qualcomm expects to make its Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal available to OEMs from this month, with the sensors showing up in retail devices from H1, 2018. As for Fingerprint Sensor for Display, it will be made available to OEMs from Q4, 2017, with devices expected to show up in Summer of 2018. While it is impressive that Qualcomm has announced a fingerprint scanner that can be placed beneath the display, it remains to be seen if its unlocking speed and accuracy are as good as traditional fingerprint scanners.
