Android on a mission to bring sensitive fingerprint scanners to all mid-range devices

Fingerprint scanners were once thought to be a feature only available on high-end Android devices. But that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

The company’s mission is to make a useful security update available to as many users as possible, including mid-range devices. This means that getting it may be much easier than before.

The implementation is available in a variety of styles, including a variety of sizes, and the technology allows users to authenticate and unlock devices in a timely and secure manner.

It can be placed on the phone’s display or simply used as a physical button on the outside of the phone. In most cases, each device has one variant of fingerprint scanning technology available, which differs in price or level of accuracy. Common examples include optical technology, capacitive scanners, and scanners using ultrasonic technology.

The oldest of the missing are people using optical technology because they can take fingerprints by clicking on images and converting them to a digital medium for authentication. However, the biggest drawback is poor readings when fingers are not clean or wet, not to mention the counterfeiting problem that occurs regularly.

Meanwhile, capacitive sensors are much smaller and more compact, without the fear of spoofing taking center stage. But they are also capable of giving poor readings that depend on the condition of the finger.

Finally, those using ultrasonic scanning are usually the newest of the three varieties, and are also more expensive than other rivals. They simply fit under your phone’s display and send ultrasonic pulses to your fingers, which bounce off the sensors. The latter maps all the interactions it aims to create 3D images and then compares them with the interactions stored in the database to see if it is positive or not.

Another benefit of this is that the ultrasonic pulses penetrate things on the surface, such as oil or moisture, so you can get the most accurate result no matter what condition you are in at the moment.

Currently, the only company producing ultrasonic scanning technology is Qualcomm. But thanks to high prices, they only appear on flagship devices. However, we see other names such as Goodix taking center stage in providing the best solutions for Vivo phones to enable the technology to be more widely adopted in mobile technology.

The collaboration with Vivo is part of the first commercialization of its kind using ultrasonic fingerprint scanning technology, so it is a milestone worth mentioning.

Manufacturers hope that such launches will pave the way for global adoption of this type of technology, as well as increase the chances of reducing the costs of such sensors.

Goodix also hopes that such systems, combined with simple changes to hardware design, will make it easier for phone makers to connect them across devices.

We think this is a very interesting approach, and having ultrasonic sensors for authentication could be a great way to ensure users get the most out of the new developments being delivered in this area.

Elsewhere, Vivo phones equipped with the latest Goodix sensor are paired with the company’s x100 ultra, which is the world’s first device to feature a massive 200MP telephoto lens.

Photo: DIW-Aigen

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