Qualcomm announced that it was developing an ultrasonic fingerprint technology that allows manufacturers to integrate a fingerprint sensor directly into the display of a phone. Under-display fingerprint scanning won’t be ready until early 2019, but Chinese manufacturer Vivo showed off the tech in action on a prototype unit of the Xplay6 at Mobile World Congress Shanghai.
As noted by Engadget, Vivo’s prototype had a limited recognition area, but in theory, Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensing can be applied to the entire screen. The tech itself works on OLED panels with thickness of 1200Ī¼m or lower.
Along with under-display fingerprint scanning, Qualcomm is rolling out glass and metal-based sensors that can be embedded at the back of a phone. The first phones to feature fingerprint sensors embedded into their chassis will be debuting sometime next year, and it’s possible Vivo will be the first out of the gate with a device. Check out the video below to see what’s in store: