Almost all new Android phones now come with fingerprint scanners which are tucked neatly under the screen. It’s a great idea as it means manufacturers have been able to ditch the chunky bezels from the front of the phone without being forced into placing this vital sensor in an awkward position on the rear case.
Although we really like the concept, in reality, Express.co.uk has never found these embedded scanners as easy to use or as fast as the physical sensors found on older devices.
However, that could be about to change. Qualcomm might be famed for its Snapdragon smartphone chips but the US firm also has numerous other technologies up its sleeve including fingerprint scanners. In fact, the firm’s 3D Sonic Sensors are already used in a swathe of devices such as the Galaxy S10, Note10, S20, and Note20 series.
Now there’s a new sensor launching from Qualcomm and it could fix all of our gripes with this latest way of unlocking smartphones.
Qualcomm says that its 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 is now around 50 percent faster than before and is also 77 percent bigger meaning it will be easier find on the screen.
READ MORE: Android update removes handy feature from Google Pixel devices
The bigger sensor provides a larger region for you to place your finger and allows Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor to capture 1.7x more biometric data which should make it far more accurate.
Along being bigger and quicker the new sensor continues to work even while wet so you shouldn’t have any issues accessing your screen in the rain.
Speaking about its sensor, Qualcomm said: “Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensors deliver a better user experience by using technological advances and acoustics (ultrasonic waves) to scan 3D features such as ridges, valleys, as well as pores of a user’s finger for a deeply accurate image.
“Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor is also ultra-thin, measuring a scant .2mm. This enables OEMs to build mobile devices with cutting-edge form factors. This includes full edge-to-edge flexible OLED displays.”
Qualcomm says its 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 is expected to debut in mobile devices in early 2021. That could mean one of the first to get this tech might be the new Galaxy S21 which is being unveiled later this week.
Samsung is holding an Unpacked event on Thursday, January 14 and expect some big new advancements to be revealed.
