It looks like the first phone to sport an under-display finger print reader is set to make an appearance. Synaptics released a press statement claiming that a “top five OEM” is preparing to debut a device using its Clear ID FS9500 family of optical in-display fingerprint sensors.
Which manufacturer Synaptics is talking about is unclear, but signs point away from Samsung or Apple. Leaving others like HTC or Lenovo as possible candidates. However, Vivo has already displayed a working demo of the technology. Meaning that it could be the OEM mentioned in the statement.
There’s little information about Synaptics’ under-display solution, seeing that it’ll be another month before it appears in public. The company is claiming that it will work faster than 3D facial recognition, while also providing the benefit of not having to be in visual range of the phone camera.
An under-display reader is considered the next step in smartphone technology. Allowing manufacturers to remove the physical button and save space; a particularly important move with the growing dominance of bezel-less and edge-to-edge screen designs.
[Source: Synaptics]
