Qualcomm and Vivo show off under-display fingerprint tech
Qualcomm has unveiled its newest ultrasonic fingerprint solution that can be placed under the display of a prototype phone made by Vivo.
At Mobile World Congress Shanghai, the US chip giant said the new solution, Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors, can be integrated underneath OLED displays and dunked in water. It also said the function works under metal and glass.
During the event, Chinese phone maker Vivo showed off a prototype smartphone that had the technology in place.
Currently, fingerprint recognition under the display is yet to be commercialised. Samsung's Galaxy S8 series has the sensor at the back, while the Galaxy Note 8 expected in August is also likely to have the sensor at the back.
Apple's next iPhone is also rumoured to have the fingerprint sensor under the display.
Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal are compatible with Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms, the company said, and will be available for OEMs this month and likely commercialised in the first half of next year.
The version for displays will be compatible with future versions of Snapdragon Mobile Platforms, and will be available for OEMS in the fourth quarter of this year.
On Wednesday, the US chip maker said the new range of fingerprint sensors, Under Display, Under Glass, and Under Metal and Glass, has been created in response to the industry's move towards edge-to-edge displays and water-resistant capabilities.
The Under Glass display, designed for low to mid-range handsets, can support a glass display of up to 800 micrometers (μm).
The Under Display, created for premium phones, can operate with an OLED display of up to 1200 μm, while the Under Metal and Glass model, also benchmarked for high-end handsets, is suitable for glass displays up to 800 μm or 525 μm for aluminum.