Xiaomi Mi 5S images leak ahead of official launch; show off ultrasonic fingerprint reader

Xiaomi Mi 5S has been a subject to plenty of speculations and now just a day away from the official launch, leaked images of the smartphone are finally beginning to surface online. A new leak reported by GizmoChina shows the actual smartphone in the hands of an employee on the factory floor, while another shows off its back with the vertical alignment of cameras. What these images also bring to light, is the brand new fingerprint reader that works on ultrasonic technology.

While many expected the Xiaomi Mi 5 to pack in the new fingerprint reader it did not arrive on last year’s flagship. Soon enough many also expected Apple’s iPhone 7 to sport the new technology, but the rumours soon died out, since Sense ID would need a Qualcomm chip inside.

With the fresh new leaked images of the Mi 5S out, it is clear that Xiaomi will be the first manufacturer to bring the new fingerprint reader technology to the smartphone market. The leaked images that come from tipster @KJuma show off both the front and the back of the Mi 5S. The first one shows the smartphone in white, revealing only the front face. The bezels are not exactly thin, but the interesting bit in this image is what appears below the display.

There the two dots with the circle in the center. A previous leak that showed up not too long ago revealed a focus on a new fingerprint reader. Again this is not Xiaomi changing or reinventing the game, but simply using Qualcomm’s Sense ID technology. According to Qualcomm, the new fingerprint reader can read a finger even if its dirty, greasy or covered in dust. This is thanks to the ultrasonic tech that creates a 3D image of the print instead of the usual flat ones that are rendered by touch-based capacitive readers.

What is also impressive is how this reduces the need for a specific type of surface above the fingerprint reader on the smartphone. The new technology can easily scan fingerprints through metal, glass, sapphire and plastics which is why you simply see a single sheet of display glass on the front with no cavities for the home button.

More importantly, the ultrasonic fingerprint reader is more secure compared to the standard ones because it cannot be spoofed easily thanks to the depth mapping of the print. LeEco came out with a similar solution, but it did not work as expected when we tested it in our full review.

Moving over to the back, the second image shows off a body similar to the Mi 5 with the addition of two cameras aligned in a vertical format. Right now it is not known how Xiaomi will use the two cameras to produce better imagery even though the company CEO recently leaked a sample image via Weibo.

The launch of the Mi 5S is expected to take place on 27 September in China and Xiaomi, from what has been revealed so far, is expected to pack in top of the line hardware. The Mi 5S is expected to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 paired with 6GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Unlike the LeEco Le Pro 3, the device is expected to pack in a smaller 5.15-inch display and a 3,490 mAh battery.