Vivo beats Apple implementing an Under-Display Fingerprint scanner

Vivo – a Chinese smartphone maker, in collaboration with Qualcomm has successfully implemented under-display fingerprint scanner in their smartphones. Vivo announced its fingerprint solution at MWC Shanghai.

It’s just people looking at something with keen interest for its awake, but it awakes from behind and laugh at them while saying “hey guys! you are looking at the wrong side, I am here”. That just happened with the people expecting Apple – or may be Samsung, to launch something like this which have been in great hype – more importantly from Apple community.

Apple has been working on the similar technology according to the patents information appeared publicly. Filed in 2015, the patents were granted earlier this year. The tech will work under the screen layer and collect the biometric data that may actually avoid the use of home button or any such physical button visible on the phone.

But the working prototype, from Vivo, proves that patents aren’t everything. The chipmaker giant Qualcomm has teamed up with the Chinese phone maker Vivo to make the technology possible in existing Vivo Xplay6 smartphone. It was reported earlier that a relatively unknown company (referring to Vivo) might be first to bring the technology to retail devices, that turns out to be true.

Ultrasonic Fingerprint Solution

Vivo’s under-display fingerprint scanner is based on Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint solution that can be integrated underneath the OLED display panels (up to 1.2mm thick). The sensor can also work under-water and it can work under glass and metal with increased penetration of up to 800µm for glass and 650µm for aluminium.

Even though it’s the first time ever the technology made its way to working smartphone, Vivo presented it only in its existing smartphones for demonstration.

How it works?

Piezoelectric effects are used to produce and receive ultrasonic signals. Those signals then passes through the OLED display, producing different reflection strengths at the fingerprint ridges and valleys, and generates a fingerprint image.

Availability

The technology will be released shortly in actual devices but no time frame has been given from Vivo. On the other hand Qualcomm has confirmed that its solution “Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal” will start shipping to OEMs this month which will be integrated into devices with mid-range Snapdragon 660 and 630. However, flagship solution “Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Display” will work with future high-end platforms.

Vivo in Pakistan

For only a bit of excitement, you must know that Vivo is already in process of launching a range of smartphones in Pakistan sooner. A facebook fan page is already up and running for a couple of weeks which has also shared about the above under-display technology. You might want to head over and stay in loop with upcoming news about availability of Vivo devices and their prices in Pakistan.