Qualcomm’s New 3D Sonic Max Fingerprint Scanner is 17x Larger
Qualcomm announced yesterday that it was a next-generation SoC for 2021 and, in parallel, it also introduced the new Sonic Max 3D fingerprint scanner. The new under-screen fingerprint scanner brings a much needed upgrade. Of course, we are talking about the scannable area. Most smartphones with on-screen fingerprint scanners require the user to place their finger in a specific area to unlock the phone.
However, thanks to the new sensor which is 17 times larger than the sensor of the previous generation, unlocking your phone will be much easier. This would not require you to place your finger in a specific place. Instead, almost the entire bottom half of the screen can be used as a fingerprint scanner. Before checking the details of the new sensor, if your phone has a fingerprint sensor, you need to check the best Android apps with fingerprint scanner support.
Details of the Sonic Max 3D Fingerprint Scanner
The Sonic Max 3D fingerprint scanner is an ultrasound scanner. Thus, it offers more security than the capacitive and optical fingerprint scanners that we find on most devices. The Samsung Galaxy S10 series is one of the few devices to have an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.
To put things in perspective, the old sensor measured only 4mm x 9mm, while the Sonic Max measured 20mm x 30mm. Plus, the larger size of the sensor will make unlocking the device a little faster as you do not have to place your finger at a specific place. However, we may have to wait to test it and compare speed against devices with optical fingerprint readers.
What's even more interesting is that the larger sensor can scan two fingerprints at the same time. It would help to enhance security in case you really do not want people to rummage around your phone.
There are some disadvantages to having an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. One of these problems is that the use of tempered glass screen protectors prevents the scanner from working. Users must purchase specially designed tempered glass to enable ultrasonic fingerprint scanners to work. The new Sonic Max 3D fingerprint scanner should solve the problem.
Availability
At the moment, there is no information regarding the launch of smartphones with the new Sonic Max 3D Fingerprint Scanner. However, we expect most major OEMs to adopt the new sensor in 2020. A company that would use the new on-screen fingerprint scanner is not even an Android OEM. Yes! you guessed it. Apple could be one of the few companies to use the new technology in its iPhones next year.
We may have to wait a few months and see which smartphone companies decide to adopt the Sonic Max 3D fingerprint scanner for their device.
Read more: Remote Unlocking Windows PC Using Android Fingerprint Scanner