Before the Samsung Galaxy S8 was revealed, technology enthusiasts and the press were hoping that the fingerprint scanner below the screen would make a debut on Samsung’s flagship 2017, considering leaks implying a bevelled design . Although the bevelled design became a reality, the physical fingerprint sensor made its way to the back panel, which was a disappointment to fans or early adopters. After that, Apple was expected to show the feature before anyone else for their next iPhone. However, in a surprising turn of events, the technology has been announced for use on smartphones, not by Apple or Samsung but by Vivo.
We talked about the possibility of a fingerprint sensor embedded a few days ago, which has now been confirmed by a Mashable report. Vivo has released a couple of photos and a video to claim the title of being the first company to announce the feature.
Vivo’s built-in fingerprint technology works on the concept of an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which had already been announced by Qualcomm and found a place in Xiaomi Mi 5S. The scanner works by emitting ultrasonic sound waves that acquire a 3D impression of the user’s finger and use it to authenticate device unlocks or other functions. However, Vivo’s version can penetrate 1.3 mm OLED panel, 525 μm aluminum and 800 μm glass compared to the existing 400 μm glass.
This makes it easier for Vivo to put the sensor under the screen or the metal, leaving no space in the front and rear panels for the fingerprint sensor. This could help Vivo or other manufacturers make absolute bevelled designs for their smartphones.
To add the pen to the crown, Vivo claims that its new ultrasound sensor is not affected by ambient light and feeds well with wet fingers or sweat marks. The manufacturer also claims that they are improving even more to make it work underwater.
Vivo still says that this is a prototype and would take some time to see the light of day. This makes it clear that we could be seeing a Vivo smartphone production model with this technology towards the end of this year or early next year. If Apple releases its next iPhone with its own version of an embedded fingerprint scanner, then it will compete with Vivo’s product, which is great for the Chinese manufacturer is often thought to be drawing on the big players in the industry for their products.
