Big news from Synaptics today, with the company announcing that we will finally get a look at under-display fingerprint reading technology next month at CES. Not only will Synaptics be demoing Clear ID Optical Sensors for all to see, but according to them, it will be showcased on a Tier 1 (flagship) device from a “Top 5” OEM.
Oh yes, this is all hands on deck news, folks.
Now, we’ve heard about Synaptics working with OEMs on this tech before, but the biggest name that gets shopped around when it comes to under-display fingerprint readers is Samsung. According to reports, the Galaxy S8 might’ve had this exact technology onboard, but time constraints forced Samsung to abandon it. At this same time last year, Synaptics unveiled its FS9100 optical sensor, which we believe was intended to ship with the Galaxy S8. Due to the aforementioned timing issues, it could be the Galaxy S9 that receives this highly sought after upgrade.
Stated by Synaptics, “Clear ID performance is twice as fast as 3D facial recognition and requires only one touch to access your smartphone.” At CES, the company will show off the FS9500 optical solution, which is the latest generation.
Now, while signs may point to Samsung for something like this, it’s entirely possible it will be a different OEM. What we do know is that it’s a Top 5 OEM, meaning it could be Samsung, OPPO, Huawei, Vivo, or Xiaomi. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Maybe CES won’t be such a drag this year after all?
// Synaptics
