We have been hearing about Samsung potentially adopting an in-display fingerprint sensor for its flagship smartphones since the past couple of years but the company has yet to do that. Recent reports suggest that Samsung is going to introduce its in-display fingerprint sensor with the Galaxy S10 next year. It's going to be the company's 10th anniversary Galaxy S flagship so it's expected to pull out all the stops for the device.
According to a new report out of South Korea, the in-display fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy S10 is now more or less “confirmed.” The update adds that the ultrasonic display-based fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy S10 will be supplied by Qualcomm.
Qualcomm may supply the in-display fingerprint sensor
It was reported two months ago that Samsung is going to make a final decision on whether or not it will introduce this technology with the Galaxy S10 soon. The impression we get from recent reports is that the company has made a final decision on the matter.
The latest report claims that Samsung has “confirmed” to its industry partners that it has decided to adopt the in-display fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy S10. The display panel will be supplied by Samsung Display whereas Qualcomm is said to be supplying the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
This is the first we're hearing of Qualcomm being a potential supplier of the sensor as previous reports have claimed that Samsung is developing the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor itself and that it's going to use the same sensor in devices other than smartphones as well, such as smart home devices, home appliances and even automobiles.
The ultrasonic sensor will be more accurate compared to the optical in-display fingerprint sensor that Chinese manufacturers are using for their smartphones. It works by transmitting an ultrasonic pulse against the finger to map the pores and ridges that are unique to each fingerprint. This lets the sensor collect additional depth data for accurate 3D reproduction of the fingerprint to ensure higher accuracy.
The Galaxy S10 is obviously not going to be out before 2019. It's believed that the company is going to unveil the device at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 in January because it wants to unveil its foldable smartphone at MWC 2019 the following month.
