If you’ve kept up to date with upcoming smartphone launches, you would notice how many of the high end devices were recently confirmed to launch with ultrasonic fingerprint scanners. But what makes it different from the optical fingerprint sensors and why is it better? Read on to find out.

Ultrasonic vs Optical: How are they different?

Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are usually only seen in premium phones like the Galaxy S24 series. So it is usually seen as the better technology for fingerprint security technology. This is not to say that optical scanners are not accurate. However, it can only take 2D mapping of your fingers. On the other hand, the ultrasonic fingerprint sensors create detailed 3D images of your fingerprints.

The former uses bright light to capture the fingerprint while the latter employs sound waves instead. Qualcomm and Goodix Solution are known ultrasonic sensor providers for smartphone brands. This technology has already been featured on the Vivo X200 Pro and iQOO Neo 9S Pro+. That’s not all, even the Xiaomi 15 series, OnePlus 13, and iQOO 13 are set to launch with this technology.

Benefits of Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner

One of the standout benefits of ultrasonic sensors is their ability to function well in conditions that typically challenge optical sensors. Optical scanners may struggle when reading wet, oily, or dirty fingers, but ultrasonic scanners, like those from Goodix, work consistently in these conditions. So ultrasonic sensors provide a fast and reliable unlock.

The ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are also designed to be thinner and more energy efficient. This allows them to integrate seamlessly under the display. This design not only supports the sleek, edge-to-edge displays popular in flagship models but also conserves battery life by operating efficiently.

Is This a New Industry Standard?

With major brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and iQOO now adopting Goodix’s ultrasonic fingerprint technology in their flagship devices, it’s clear that this security feature is becoming an essential component of high-end smartphones. Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners, with their enhanced 3D mapping, reliable performance in varying conditions, and energy-efficient design, offer a level of security and convenience that traditional optical sensors struggle to match.

Flagship devices strive to offer the best experience so a quicker, reliable, and secure fingerprint scanner may also become the norm. For users who value both convenience and security, ultrasonic fingerprint technology represents the next evolution in smartphone security. With models like the Vivo X200 Pro and upcoming launches like the Xiaomi 15 series, ultrasonic fingerprint scanning technology is setting a new standard for flagship devices. Till then, you can click here to check out the top 5 hottest trends in the flagship smartphone segment.

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Goodix, a prominent player in the technology industry, is set to roll out its ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor for mass production by the end of this year, according to Digital Chat Station. The top 5 Chinese smartphone brands are currently in discussions with Goodix regarding the sensor. This development comes with the promise of cost savings compared to Qualcomm‘s similar technology.

Affordable alternative to Qualcomm!

Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensors offer a range of inherent advantages over their optical counterparts. Most notably, they can unlock devices even when the screen is off, eliminating the need for blindingly bright screens during nighttime unlocks. Additionally, these sensors are adept at functioning underwater or with wet hands, enhancing their usability in various conditions.

The fundamental working principle of Goodix’s technology involves utilizing sound waves to scan the pores in the fingerprint area, constructing a three-dimensional model of the user’s fingerprint. When unlocking the device, the sensor compares the real-time fingerprint model with the previously recorded one, resulting in a notably higher recognition rate. This technology offers improved accuracy, making it capable of recognizing “wet” or “dirty” fingers, which are often challenging for optical solutions.

Furthermore, the Digital Chat Station hinted at an exclusive period for a certain brand to utilize Goodix’s ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor solution.

After this exclusivity period, it is expected that other brands will follow suit in adopting this technology. While there is speculation that the exclusive brand may be from the EU+ region, specific details remain undisclosed.

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(Via)

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iQOO, the sub-brand of Vivo for premium smartphones, is all set to launch its new smartphone — iQOO 8 tomorrow, i.e. 17th August. Ahead of the official debut, the brand has shared a teaser poster shedding some light on its features.

In the recent teaser, the company has revealed that the fingerprint sensor on the smartphone will work even when users are trying to unlock the smartphone with wet hands. While not revealed by iQOO, it’s likely that the phone will come with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for this feature.

As per earlier leaks, the iQOO 8 will feature an optical fingerprint sensor while the Pro variant will pack an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. To know for sure, we’ll have to wait a few more hours for the official launch event.

If the reports are to be believed, then the upcoming iQOO 8 Pro will feature a 6.78-inch Samsung E5 LTPO AMOLED display panel with curved edges that offer a 2K+ screen resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

Under the hood, the phone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 88 SoC or the newer Snapdragon 888+ chipset. It could come with 8GB and 12GB RAM models with 256GB internal storage.

The smartphone is likely to feature a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 16-megapixel telephoto snapper. Currently, details about the front-facing snapper remain unknown. It will be powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.

While the company has not revealed anything about the iQOO 8 series’ availability in markets other than China, it seems that the lineup could soon get launched in India as the Indian variant was recently spotted in the IMEI database.

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Sharp has just launched a beast in the smartphone market. The AQUOS R6 has been announced with top tier specifications like Snapdragon 888 SoC, a 240Hz refresh rate display, and the world’s first 1 inch camera sensor on the rear.

With just these three specifications, one can already tell that the Japanese smartphone maker is expanding its influence in the ultra high end segment within the industry. The device is absolutely packed with top notch technology and features, which also includes the world’s first 1 inch primary shooter along with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that even supports a two finger unlocking feature as well. As per official notes, “The fingerprint sensor of AQUOS R6 is equipped with Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max, which is 11 times larger than the conventional ones and the largest size in the world. You can also unlock by touching about. Moreover, the security level has also improved.”

Talking about the display, the device sports a 6.6 inch WUXGA + Pro IGZO OLED with a resolution of 1,260 x 2,730px (2K+) and a 240Hz high refresh rate. This display offers a peak brightness of a whpping 2000 nits and even supports HDR as well with a 20,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Under the hood, the premium grade handset is powered by a large 5,000mAh battery pack that supports Intelligent Charge 2.0 support. and Qualcomm’s high end Snapdragon 888 SoC. For memory, Sharp is offering the smartphone with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

Arriving at its highlighting feature, Sharp has partnered with Leica to bring the world’s first smartphone with a 1 inch image CMOS sensor. The company has stated that the sensor is about five times bigger than the predecessor and features loads of improvements as well. Rear sensors on the device also supports laser low light autofocus. Sharp added that it uses 7 element Leica Summicron, which allows it to take photographs in high resolutions. Its primary shooter is a 20 megapixel sensor with f/1.9 aperture that is paired with a 12.6 ToF lens.

The AQUOS R6 runs on Android 11 and also offers IPX8 certification for water and dust resistance. Unfortunately, finer availability details like pricing of the device is currently unknown. Although, the smartphone will launch in its home country Japan along with a few other regions. The device will go on sale sometime in June through Docomo and NTT in two color variants, namely Black and White. So stay tuned for pricing and availability updates.

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Samsung was the first mainstream smartphone maker to utilize Qualcomm’s 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor inside the Galaxy S10. However, after the recent issue concerning the less secure fingerprint sensors inside the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 models, Samsung could be hesitant to use Qualcomm ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in its 2020 models.

The news comes via KoreaTimes which reports that there’s a growing concern among smartphone manufacturers and customers about the security of Qualcomm’s Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors. The report further adds that industry officials had doubts about this technology even before it made it to the market as it ‘exhibited a greater probability of errors’. So the recent issue with Samsung’s devices further spoiled the sensor’s reputation in the market.

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According to the industry official, it looks like Qualcomm’s ultrasonic technology has its limits and developers have to be extra careful in designing software for its sensors. On the other hand, the optical sensor based in-display sensors seem to be doing well, with a lot of manufacturers adopting this technology over ultrasonic sensors.

The two technologies differ in the way they read a user’s fingerprint. Optical in-display sensors use optical (light-based) scanners to authenticate the user’s fingerprint while Qualcomm’s sensors use ultrasonic waves.

Given the issues associated with Qualcomm’s ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensors, it is possible that Samsung ditches it in favor of the traditional optical scanners for its next-generation Galaxy flagships. To recall, Samsung phones like Galaxy S10 and Note 10 were both blacklisted by a number of international banks back when the fingerprint security issue was revealed. Given how smartphones are increasingly being used to make financial transactions, manufacturers like Samsung wouldn’t want to take any risks in terms of security.

Note that Samsung is yet to comment on this matter.

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(Source)

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After a long wait, which I think extends to a few years, Xiaomi has finally unveiled a smartphone worthy of taking on the premium competitors in the market right now. The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is finally official and with it, we have got a flagship which we can directly compare with the likes of the Galaxy S7 Edge and the P9 series.

So, let’s take a look at what the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 brings to the table.

DESIGN

Design wise, Xiaomi has used the popular dual curved design, similar to what we saw on the Note 7. But with the phablet out of the picture due to its battery woes, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 can shine with its familiar design.

The phone comes with 3D glass on both the front as well as the back. This means holding the phone is more comfortable due to its curved design. Further, for the frame, the company has used Aerospace grade 7 series aluminum, which gives it a smooth yet solid look.

There are two color options, Glacier Silver and Bright Black.

DISPLAY

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is the company’s first dual curved display smartphone. The company explains that it’s not easy to use 3D glass with an LCD display. Hence, the Mi Note 2 is using an innovative flexible OLED display which not only blends together with the curved glass up front, but the display also extends to the side. This is similar to what we see on other curved display phones.

The phone comes with a 5.7-inch curved display with 77.2% screen to body ratio, better than iPhone 7 Plus’ 67.7%. The panel further boasts of 110% NTSC color gamut and 100,000:1 contrast ratio.

In case you are wondering, Lei Jun also mentioned that this advanced flexible screen costs as much as six times a regular 5.5-inch FHD LCD panel.

HARDWARE

Like expected, Xiaomi has ensured the Mi Note 2 has the best hardware in the market right now. It comes with the Snapdragon 821 chipset clocked at 2.35GHz. As for memory, you have 6GB RAM of LPDDR4 dual channel RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.0 storage. Recent Xiaomi smartphones are known for its long battery life and the same continues with the Mi Note 2. The phone comes with a large 4070mAh battery and with Quick Charge 3.0, battery life is going to be its plus point. Other features of the flagship include AQSTIC HD Audio processor with Hi-Fi sound quality and low distortion (24 bit / 192KHz), NFC with fingerprint payments and improved SAP assisted GPS.

As for the camera, the Mi Note 2 comes with the powerful 22.56MP IMX318 EXMOR RS sensor at the back. While there is no OIS on board, the module does have 3-axis gyroscope and EIS (Electronic Image stabilization). The camera also supports 4K video image stabilization at the hardware level. Other features include f/2.0 aperture and PDAF.

Up front, there is an 8MP IMX268 EXMOR RS shooter with f/2.0 aperture and beauty 3.0 software which promises to bring more accurate and natural colors. Another interesting feature of the front camera is the built-in autofocus, which means you will get clear selfies at any distance.

One of the biggest highlights of the Mi Note 2 is the supports 37 LTE global bands! As for the software, the phone is running MIUI 8 out of the box.

PRICING

Expecting the price to be high? Xiaomi has surprised us once again by making the Mi Note 2 quite affordable. The pricing is as follows:

4GB + 64GB 2799 Yuan ($413)

6GB + 128GB 3299 Yuan ($487)

6GB + 128GB Special Global Edition 3499 Yuan ($516)

Note that the 3499 Yuan is the model with 37 Global LTE support, so that’s the model international users should be interested in.

The phone will go on sale on November 1.

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Things may not have gone as planned this year for Xiaomi, however, the company is back in the game in the top-end segment with not one but two new flagship grade smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi 5S and the Xiaomi Mi 5S Plus. We have been hearing about these two devices for the past few weeks and leaks started to come in pretty fast recently. But now, both the devices have been made official which means we have all the information that we need about these two handsets.

Read on to find out more about the Xiaomi Mi 5S.

DESIGN:

Xiaomi used 3D Glass body on its earlier flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 5 and there was a 3D Ceramic version as well. This time, for its new flagship, Xiaomi is using a metal body. This could be a good decision as mass producing the ceramic body is not an easy task and we don’t want any supply problems with the Mi 5S as its predecessor.

The Xiaomi Mi 5S comes with an all metal design with four color options, dark gray, silver, gold and rose gold. It’s curvier and smoother in terms of design as compared to its predecessor. The metal gets a matte anodizing finish to give it a unique look. On the front, the phone features 2.5D glass, giving it a slightly curved feel.

Dimensions: 145.6 x 70.3 x 8.25mm | Weight: 145 grams

Plus, you even have the option of getting the 79 Yuan ($12) dot protective case to give your phone a different look.

SPECS:

As expected, the Xiaomi Mi 5S comes with the powerful Snapdragon 821 chipset, which is the upgraded version of the already powerful Snapdragon 820. Then there’s LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB / 128GB UFS 2.0 high-speed memory on the device. There will be two variants: 3GB + 64GB and 4GB + 128GB.

The phone features a 5.15-inch custom high-brightness 1920 x 1080p display with brightness up to 600 nits. Other features of the display include NTSC color gamut coverage up to 95% and high color saturation. What’s also special about this display is that it supports pressure sensitivity but only in the 4GB + 128GB model!

While these specs are pretty good, what’s really the highlight of the Xiaomi Mi 5S is its ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Yes, it will be the first mass produced smartphone to feature the advanced ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. This 3D sensor enabled seamless integration of panels unlike other capacitive sensors. Further, it’s quick, accurate and long lasting. The sensor is located below the glass, without the need for any opening in the display panel.

The company did mention that optimizing the ultrasonic sensor required a lot of time and efforts from its engineers. But finally by June 2016, Xiaomi successfully solved major problems with the sensor and optimized power consumption.

The camera is yet another highlight of the Xiaomi Mi 5S. The phone comes with a 12MP Sony IMX378 1/2.3″ 1.55um sensor , which is 61% larger than the one inside the iPhone 6S Plus. Since the sensor size is bigger, Xiaomi claims that the phone is able to capture stellar photos, even at night. However, note that this is a single camera module. Only the Mi 5S Plus comes with the dual camera module at the back.

Other specs of the camera module include f/2.0, 6P lens, 80 degree wide angle, dual LED dual tone color temperature flash, PDAF, Second Gen. Qualcomm ISP, facial recognition, auto HDR and Panorama. The camera supports 4K shooting at 30 fps, 1080p at 120 fps and slo-mo 720p at 120 fps.

Up front, you get a 4MP Ultrapixel camera with f/2.o aperture, 80 degree wide angle lens, facial recognition etc.

Lei Jun revealed that the company gave out the Mi 5S to a professional photographer traveling to Northern Europe and the US. The pictures taken by the photographer turned out to be very good, and with the right amount of exposure control, even night time photography from the Mi 5S turned out to be impressive. You can check out the official samples below (a couple of them we have already seen).

To see whether the Xiaomi Mi 5S camera is good or bad, the company conducted a blind test with a sample of 200 ordinary users who were asked to select the camera sample that they liked. Out of these, 55% (110 users) found the Xiaomi Mi 5S camera sample to be better. In another blind test with a sample of 159 professional photographers, Xiaomi claims that 49% preferred Xiaomi Mi’s camera sample.

The company claims that the phone’s camera comes with richer detail and accurate colors as compared to competitors like the S7 Edge and the iPhone 6S Plus. That’s a big claim, but it also revealed an image comparing the sample from the three phones. Check it out for yourself.

The Xiaomi Mi 5S also comes with NFC and 4G+ technologies. So, it should support fingerprint enabled payment systems like Xiaomi Pay in China. Other specs include 802.1 ac dual band Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth HID, Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi Display.

Supported LTE bands include:

FDD-LTE B1, B3, B5, B7 and B8

TDD-LTE B38, B39, B40 and B41

The battery is of 3200mAh capacity with QC 3.0 support (9V 2A) using the USB Type-C port.

PRICE:

The Xiaomi Mi 5S will start at 1999 Yuan ($300) for the 64GB version and 2299 Yuan ($345) for the 128GB version.

There are many details yet to be revealed by the company like the battery capacity (but it supports Quick Charge 3.0), so we will update this article after more details are available.

The post Xiaomi Mi 5S Official: Snapdragon 821, Under Glass Fingerprint & More for just $300 (Specs UPDATED!) appeared first on Gizmochina.

One major feature of the Xiaomi Mi 5s is the new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Manufactured by Qualcomm and bringing new features, the ultrasonic scanner can be said to be the third generation of fingerprint recognition technology. And the Mi 5s will be the first phone in the world to sport it.

The common fingerprint scanners we have in phones today are capacitive scanners which have limitations. A major one is the fact that once your hands are dirty or wet, the scanner fails to read your prints and unlock your device. But that will soon be a thing of the past as this new sensor will accurately read your prints if your hand is wet or covered in sweat or grease.

Another feature is that it also allows manufacturers to hide it from plain view. That way you can have a device that is flush (for devices with scanners on the rear) or ditch the home button (for devices that have their scanners up front). The scanner will work under a variety of materials including glass and aluminium.

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Director of IHS Technology, Wang Yang posted on Weibo confirming that the Mi 5s will indeed launch with Qualcomm’s ultrasonic sensor which will be embedded under the front glass. The post is accompanied by an official poster of the feature.

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We have been hearing a lot about the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 flagship smartphone since early 2015. However, the company is yet to reveal a launch date of the device. According to recent rumors, the phone might launch as soon as November, which is just a month away. Now, the latest news that comes from Weibo reveals that Xiaomi Mi 5 may be the first smartphone to feature Qualcomm’s Ultrasonic Fingerprint Recognition Technology.

Snapdragon 820 powered phones are expected to feature this new-age tech and since Xiaomi Mi 5 is rumored to be one of the first phones to feature Qualcomm’s latest chip, its quite likely that we will see it on the device. The company calls its the Snapdragon Sense 3D Fingerprint technology. This particular tech is better than existing technologies in the sense that its harder to imitate.

The 3D fingerprint technology creates a minute map of the details of your fingerprint, better than existing solutions. So, it becomes harder for anyone to copy your fingerprint to unlock the device, essentially making it much more secure.

Moreover, the technology does not need specific capacitive sensor or buttons to work. It can be used on a variety of materials such as plastic, metal or even glass. So, upcoming smartphones may not necessarily have a dedicated area for fingerprint sensor. It can be anywhere in the existing component like the display or even the frame, thereby allowing manufacturers to improve the overall screen proportion.

Since Xiaomi Mi 5 is expected feature pretty high-end specs, like 4GB RAM, 16MP camera and Android 5.1.1, an ultrasonic fingerprint ID would definitely be a great addition to its features.

Well, we may not have to wait too long to see if the phone comes with this new age tech, as the launch could be as soon as November 2015. Stay tuned for more details.

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