At the ongoing MWC event in Shanghai, Qualcomm has announced a fingerprint scanning and authentication technology. The new system is called Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors and consists of a suite of features made of up sensors for display, glass and metal. The company claims that the system offers detection of directional gestures as well as underwater fingerprint match and device wake-up. Qualcomm also says that it is the first commercially based ultrasonic-based mobile solution to detect heartbeat and blood flow. The company also notes that their latest solution is an offers new and enhanced features as compared to their previous Snapdragon Sense ID technology.
“We are excited to announce Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors because they can be designed to support sleeker, cutting-edge form factors, unique mobile authentication experiences, and enhanced security authentication,” said Seshu Madhavapeddy, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This provides OEMs and operators with the ability to offer truly distinct, differentiated devices with added value on truly groundbreaking new devices.”
Qualcomm says that the Fingerprint Sensor for Display is the mobile industry’s first commercially announced multi-functional ultrasonic solution capable of scanning through OLED display stacks of up to 1200um. Further, it claims that the Fingerprint sensors for Glass and Metal are the first commercially announced to scan through up to 800um of cover glass and up to 650um of aluminium. By comparison, the previous generation of the technology could scan through 600um of glass or metal.
The company notes that the Fingerprint Sensors are designed to be used either as an integrated solution with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon mobile platforms, or as stand alone sensors that can be used with other non-Snapdragon platforms. Further, Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal are designed to be compatible with the Snapdragon 660 and 630 platforms.
Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal are expected to be available to OEMs this month, and should arrive in commercial devices in the first half of 2018. Fingerprint Sensor for Display is expected to be available for OEMs to evaluate in Q4, 2017.
Further, Qualcomm partnered with Vivo to demonstrate the new technology at MWC Shanghai. The system was demonstrated on modified versions of the Vivo XPlay 6 smartphone. Vivo has been teasing the new technology on social media and was expected to announce a brand new device featuring the technology. There are also rumours that Apple’s Tenth Anniversary edition iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 8, may feature the technology.