A new patent indicates that Samsung intends to equip its Galaxy Z Fold4 foldable phone with an under-display fingerprint sensor, but with a twist – it will be able to scan from both sides of the display.
Now, the Z Fold3 was previously expected to come with an under-display fingerprint sensor, just like regular Samsung Galaxy smartphones have had. However, consumers were in for a disappointment as the Korean company decided to go with a side-mounted scanner.
But if the said tech is indeed shipped with the Z Fold4, then Samsung will be implementing the under-screen fingerprint scanner in a fashion that’s never been tried before.
The patent was filed on March 31 this year with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) for a ‘Foldable electronic device capable of detecting fingerprint through at least part of the display’ and published on October 7, 2021 (via: LetsGoDigital).
It describes a fingerprint sensor positioned in such a way that it can be used via both the outside cover screen as well as the inside foldable one. This has been made possible by incorporating the sensor beneath the lower-left half of the flexible screen. A small printed circuit board (PCB) is placed between the sensors, which in turn is connected to the main printed circuit board. This opens up a new possibility of biometric authentication in both the unfolded and folded positions.
Samsung has argued in the patent that since a foldable device is equipped with a flexible screen, it is more likely to show creases when pressure is exerted on the screen. Thus, existing fingerprint tech should be tweaked to ease this limitation, and the dual-sided fingerprint sensor implementation seems to be the perfect solution.
While LetsGoDigital believes that the dual-sided fingerprint will be present with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 itself, it is advisable to take this bit of info with a pinch of salt. After all, patents are only ideas awaiting to be chosen from a sea of similar ideas. But with the competition increasing in the foldable space, thanks to the likes of Xiaomi and Huawei, Samsung may be compelled to pull off something as crazy as this in order to stand out.
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