Synaptics Creating In-Display Fingerprint Sensors for 'Top Five OEM'

[MacRumors]

Synaptics today announced that it has begun mass production of its Clear ID FS9500 optical in-display fingerprint sensors in partnership with a "top five" manufacturer, suggesting at least one major smartphone brand will sport in-display fingerprint sensing technology in the future.

Synaptics has been working on fingerprint sensors capable of reading a fingerprint through display glass for some time now, and its first product, the Clear ID-FS9100, was announced back in late 2016.

The updated Clear ID-FS9500 fingerprint sensors are designed specifically for smartphones with button-free bezel-free "infinity displays" much like the iPhone X or the Samsung Galaxy S8. Synaptics says its fingerprint sensors "magically activate" in the display when necessary, and the company believes its solution is "twice as fast as 3D facial recognition."

The Synaptics fingerprint sensor works well with wet, dry, and cold fingers, and because it's located under the display glass, the sensor is scratch proof and waterproof. In response to facial recognition, which can fail at certain angles, Synaptics points out that its fingerprint solution works when a device is "sitting on the table, at any angle, or while in a car mount."

Synaptics did not specify which smartphone manufacturer it is working with beyond naming a "top five" OEM, so the company's partner is a mystery. While Synaptics is a known Apple supplier that has provided Apple with display components in the past, it's likely Synaptics is referring to an Android manufacturer. Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei are all possible partners.

Apple uses its own in-house solution for Touch ID, and it's not yet entirely clear at this point if Apple plans to continue using fingerprint recognition as a biometric authentication method in its devices. Touch ID has been replaced by Face ID in the iPhone X, and rumors suggest Face ID will be the dedicated biometric authentication method in the 2018 iPhones. We're also hearing rumors suggesting Face ID will come to other devices in 2018, like the iPad Pro.

In a September interview, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi said Face ID is the future of biometric authentication, and other Apple executives have made similar comments. For those who hold out hope that Apple will continue to use Touch ID in some capacity, however, Federighi did also say that there are certain situations where different biometric techniques or combinations of biometrics could make sense.

Ahead of the release of the iPhone X, rumors indicated Apple was planning to put Touch ID under the display of the iPhone X, with Face ID selected as the fallback option when it did not work out, but Apple executives have since said those rumors were false. Under-display Touch ID was not considered as Apple worked on developing Face ID, and it's not clear if Apple will continue to pursue Touch ID development with Face ID now available.

Article Link: Synaptics Creating In-Display Fingerprint Sensors for 'Top Five OEM'

 

[JM]

Buy.

Unless, of course, FaceID is fixed to read at more of an angle (such as a table)....

 

[Starfyre]

If Apple was lying to us about not investing in fingerprint tech and we find it in next year's iPhone X successor, I will be sorely disappointed in Apple...

 

[FelixDerKater]

TouchID - Round 2.

 

[farewelwilliams]

If Samsung were smart, they would push hard for touchid under the screen over trying to copy Face ID.

My preference for unlocking a phone:
TouchID under the screen > Face ID > TouchID button

 

[Octopuss]

If Apple was lying to us about not investing in fingerprint tech and we find it in next year's iPhone X successor, I will be sorely disappointed in Apple...

Don't worry it won't happen.
Next year Samsung will have it.
Then in 3-4 years Apple will "invent" it.

 

[WatchTheThrone]

Its probably gonna be Oppo or Huawei since Samsung will probably follow Apple and go Facial recognition only!!

 

[miketcool]

Unless this solution also works beneath Apple's display technology, don't expect it to be in the next iPhone.

I'm sure this solution was looked over in the past due to the hardness of the glass. The Touch ID hardware uses a sapphire wafer that is less likely to shatter or scratch.

 

[Count Blah]

Hope it works. Much prefer TouchID v2, over anything else.
Would make for many funny commercials where this works versus FaceID.

 

[serialiphoneuser]

Done with iPhone until there's touchId

 

[falainber]

Its probably gonna be Oppo or Huawei since Samsung will probably follow Apple and go Facial recognition only!!

Did not Apple follow Samsung with facial recognition? Yes, Face ID better but Apple is still a follower here. So far I have not seen any rumors about Samsung adding Face ID-like features.

 

[iapplelove]

Did not Apple follow Samsung with facial recognition? Yes, Face ID better but Apple is still a follower here. So far I have not seen any rumors about Samsung adding Face ID-like features.

I think he meant Face ID only, no finger print sensor on the back.

 

[Anony-mouse]

With all this talk about under-the-display fingerprint sensors, I wonder if it'd still work with a cracked display.

Since upcoming phones will most likely have edge-to-edge displays, a cracked display might just render the fingerprint module useless.

 

[Kingrsmchugh]

The first sentence states that ‘begun mass production’ so that time line would line up with a new iphoneSE in the spring.

 

[DocMultimedia]

I never want to go back to TouchID. The FaceID is awesome. I think I adapted in to it in the first minute I had my X. It now seems primitive when I have to unlock my iPad and MacBook Pro.

 

[prankster506]

Done with iPhone until there's touchId

Thought I'd really miss Touch ID when I got the iPhone X but I have to say that Face ID is so much better in my opinion.

 

[deanthedev]

That picture looks like the sensor is under a small part of the screen. I wonder if the displayed image directly above the sensor would look different compared to the rest of the screen. For example, very faint ghosting or color change.

 

[=alex=]

Even though Face ID fares better for most of the users, it still doesn't work for twins or siblings who look very similar (which is about 1% of the population) and children under the age of 14 (which is a lot). So I believe Apple will have to incorporate Touch ID under display at some stage, probably not too far in the future, to compensate for this.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Don't worry it won't happen.
Next year Samsung will have it.
Then in 3-4 years Apple will "invent" it.

You think Apple would remove a feature and then bring it back?

Better hold on to your headphones.

 

[monty77]

Please let it be Samsung, I'm mightily pleased with my switch to the S8 which I made primarily due to Apple ditching the fps in favour of gimmickery.

 

[ackmondual]

Hmm, it's a bit surreal to read this...

Synaptics today announced that it has begun mass production of its Clear ID FS9500 optical in-display fingerprint sensors in partnership with a "top five" manufacturer, suggesting at least one major smartphone brand will sport in-display fingerprint sensing technology in the future.

And then see this...

... in the shape of a question mark, as to subtly imply.. "or will it?"

 

[- rob -]

If Apple was lying to us about not investing in fingerprint tech and we find it in next year's iPhone X successor, I will be sorely disappointed in Apple...

I think Apple absolutely knows that Face ID alone is resulting a substantial amount of failed authentication attempts on the X.

I would guess they have data on the times of day, phone orientations when it is failing and how that compares to Touch ID phones.

I would guess that there is already enough data to justify another attempt at the belt and suspenders approach to Auth on iPhone.

Many folks in these forums claim it is as good as Touch ID, and it is in some ways better. But in some situations it fails when Touch ID wild have trivially unlocked the phone.

I would be very surprised if Apple did not bring Touch ID back to iPhone X’s successor.

 

[WannaGoMac]

If this works well, bye bye iPhone, I'm going android.

 

[jasonsmith_88]

I'd love to know how many people here complaining about the problems with FaceID (and how in-display TouchID would be better) actually own the iPhone X.

My guess is none.

 

[jerryk]

I doubt Samsung will go face ID only. They have a tendency to go for 3 solutions instead of one. Look at the S8: charging - USB-C and wireless (s7 also); headphones - wireless and wired jack; unlock - fingerprint, face, and retina scan. I guess they want to give people options.