We already laid out several reasons why Synaptics' newly announced in-display fingerprint sensor had little chance of making its way into the Galaxy S9, and it looks like it has indeed been confirmed that the new sensor will not be seen on a Samsung phone. Instead, it's Chinese manufacturer Vivo that will claim the honor of being the first to offer a phone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Vivo isn't a “top five OEM” as Synaptics had put it, according to the latest IDC data. But it comes under the same parent company as Oppo (which ranked fourth in Q3 data by IDC), and we're guessing Synaptics thought that was enough when they issued their press release.
In-display fingerprint sensor to debut on a Vivo smartphone
Vivo was actually the first phone manufacturer to show everyone a prototype device with an under-display sensor, although the sensor at the time came from Qualcomm. The confirmation that Vivo's upcoming phone will have the new Synaptics sensor (named Clear ID FS9500) comes from analyst Patrick Moorhead. Writing for Forbes, Moorhead has revealed that he had some hands-on time with the pre-production unit that had a working in-display fingerprint sensor. The phone has a CMOS sensor embedded under the AMOLED display and reads the user's fingerprint at the lower part of the display. It's apparently “faster” than expected, and you can see the image of the device at the source link.
Being one of the top Chinese manufacturers, Vivo has been responsible for quite a few achievements, including putting a 500+ ppi display on a smartphone before it became the norm a few years ago. It looks to be the same for fingerprint sensors that reside under a phone's display, and we're guessing this is the only proof one needs that the Galaxy S9 isn't going to be on the receiving end of Synaptics' new fingerprint sensor. Well, this and all the rumors and leaks that make it certain the fingerprint sensor will be at the back of the S9, albeit in a not-frustrating position.
Anyone disappointed?
