If you have closely followed all the updates in the smartphone world for the year 2017, then you might know that the year has been all about perfecting new technologies and coming up with stand-alone devices.
From Apple to Samsung, from OnePlus and Oppo to Xiaomi and Vivo, every single smartphone manufacturer launched its respective flagship which, in some way or another, left us impressed. While Xiaomi continued to offer a VFM price tag with all the technological advancements, OnePlus came up with an unbelievable package n form of the ‘5’. However, the major trendsetters were Samsung Galaxy S8 and Apple’s iPhone X, which are two of the most expensive yet worthy smartphones money can buy.
However, there was one company that was silently working on a new technology which Apple was said to come up with first. And surprisingly, it’s the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo which is expected to beat two of the most dominating forces in the business and launch the first-ever smartphone with an in-screen fingerprint sensor.
There were rumors of Apple exploring the under-display fingerprint scanning technology, however, you probably didn’t expect the first of such smartphones to come from China and that too from Vivo.
On December 12, Synaptics, which is one of the biggest companies in biometric industry, announced that it is finally ready to start mass-producing the world’s first-ever fingerprint sensor which is hidden underneath a smartphone display. The company initially said that the technology would first be available to one of the “top 5” OEMs, and we now know that the said Original Equipment Manufacturer is none other than Vivo.
According to a report by Forbes, “Synaptics made an announcement with Vivo which highlights further improvements on the smartphone UI experience. The company announced that it has figured out how to manufacture an integrated fingerprint sensor for the smartphone display, in high volume, that operates in a fast, secure, manner.”
Synaptics is using Clear ID FS9500 sensor to make all this possible which is said to be “fast and simple.” The fingerprint sensor doesn’t actually turn on unless a user is ready to use it in order to help save some battery life, and when the user tries to unlock the phone, a fingerprint icon will appear near the bottom of the phone’s display.
All you need to do is just put your finger on the icon, which the OEMs can customize the look of, and your smartphone will be unlocked. This technology, which Vivo is expected to use first, will offer the same level of security as well as the convenience we’ve come to expect from touch sensors on current handsets.
Let it be known that Vivo is one of the top five smartphone manufacturers globally, according to a report by IDC Q1 2017 Tracker and these in-screen fingerprint sensors named “Clear ID”, will work exactly like a physical home button-embedded fingerprint sensor.
Synaptics “Clear ID” FS9500 lineup of fingerprint sensors are said to be designed for smartphones which have immensely-popular “infinity” OLED screens which are found in flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8 and the Apple iPhone X.
On the other hand, while nothing is known about Vivo’s new smartphone with an in-screen fingerprint scanner as of now, few reports suggest that the technology will be first launched with the Vivo X9 and Vivo X9 Plus. Rumours suggest that the Vivo X9 Plus will have an optical fingerprint sensor embedded in the display.
Everything said and done, considering our past experiences, if Vivo indeed launches the World’s First Smartphone With In-Screen Fingerprint Sensor in 218, it can easily become the biggest Chinese player in the business.