The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will, according to new reports, feature a fingerprint scanner embedded under the display glass.
There's been a lot of talk recently about how Apple's 3D face scanning aboard the iPhone X is going to be emulated by every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the smartphone space.
Quite likely true, but one thing which was asserted along the way which might not be so certain, according to these new details, is that this shift may mean manufacturers stop trying to get fingerprint scanners functioning beneath display glass.
To put this in some kind of perspective, let's do a quick recap.
So, according to the rumour mill, allegedly Samsung wanted to put an under-glass fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S8 series, but didn't manage to get it working just right in time, and instead opted to put a surface-level fingerprint scanner on the back panel, just adjacent to the camera. The story then goes that the same thing happened with the Galaxy Note 8.
And lastly, all this time, Apple was trying to do the same thing with the iPhone X, but ultimately could also not achieve it and went with the 3D face scanner.
It seems likely to us that the 3D scanner was going to be involved anyway, after all, you don't just bodge that kind of pioneering tech last minute, but the leaks and rumours would suggest that an under-display embedded Touch ID scanner was planned as well, so it seems Apple wanted two biometrics on the same phone.
Regardless, none of this was achieved; the concept proved too complex for two of the world's biggest and most advanced tech firms to implement satisfactorily. In fact it was so difficult that one of them somehow plumped for something which, to us, sounds far more sci-fi and advanced - 3D laser scanning face recognition. Weird, huh?
So anyway, the new word comes via prominent KGI Securities analysy, Ming-Chi Kuo; he's got a flawless track record on Apple predictions, but has more recently dipped a toe into the business of other OEMs, including Samsung. Kuo says Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 will use an under-display scanner and that the technology involved will allow the AMOLED display to be used as a light source for the sensor.
Why is this good? Well apparently it is more efficient than having a dedicated light source and will save on battery life due to the OLED screens battery-friendly properties.
Kuo adds that two suppliers have already shipped sample components to Samsung Electronics, those suppliers being BeyondEyes, and Samsung's own subsidiary; Samsung LSI. He also suggests that current Samsung scanner supplier Egis might also win the contract.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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