Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus come with the world's first ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner

tech2 News StaffFeb 21, 2019 16:23:51 IST

Last year we had seen the rise of the in-display fingerprint reader technology on smartphones starting with the Vivo X21 UD all the way to the high-end Huawei Mate 20 Pro. However, the implementation was an optical sensor which flashed light from under the screen to illuminate the ridges on your finger for getting your fingerprint map. It was not always reliable, slow as compared to a capacitive physical sensor and you had to place your finger at the exact position to make it work.

Ultrasonic fingerprint reader.

With the Galaxy S10, Samsung has changed the landscape of in-display fingerprint readers by including an ultrasonic sensor instead of the optical one.  The ultrasonic sensor detects the user's fingerprint by sending an ultrasonic pulse against the finger to map the pores and ridges. In more specific terms the sensor will calculate different levels of voltage based on your ridges and valleys.

Ultrasonic fingerprint readers are more accurate and comparatively faster as sound can map an in-depth 3D map of your fingerprint while optical sensors can only make a 2D scan of your fingerprints. Dirty and sweaty fingers are further nuisance for optical sensors.

Apart from that if you are a maniac and cut of the registered user's finger to open the device, it won't work because ultrasonic sensors also register your finger's blood flow making a severed finger unreadable.

The Verge's Vlad Savov managed to use the ultrasonic fingerprint reader says that the sensor is working seamlessly on the S10, letting the user press anywhere in the bottom third of the screen to unlock the device. Of course, we will be testing out the device on our own when we have it so stay tuned for a full review.