Sweden’s FPC and US-based Synaptics have more or less cornered the fingerprint scanner module market but there are emerging players who seek to challenge their established rivals. According to a new report out of Korea, Samsung is looking to source fingerprint scanner modules for its low-end smartphones from local suppliers in South Korea. The company has reportedly held talks with potential suppliers for a partnership.
It's believed that if a deal is reached, the two new partners will provide Samsung with up to 2 million fingerprint scanner modules. This report follows one from a couple of weeks ago which suggested that Samsung was thinking about making its own fingerprint scanners. Samsung Electronics’ System LSI division is believed to be working on fingerprint scanner chips since last year and it's expected that it will be able to commercialize these chips from 2017.
In-house production and diversification of suppliers will help Samsung reduce reliance on existing partners that supply these models. It also means that the company will have ample volume from multiple sources to introduce fingerprint scanners in low-end handsets as well.
None of this has been officially confirmed by Samsung so take it with a grain of salt for now.
