A few years ago, fingerprint scanners were reserved for high-end phones. Now, don’t be amazed to find a fingerprint sensor in a phone priced under a $100. The technology continues to evolve and the focus now is to make scanners that can sit directly under displays. Qualcomm just announced it has joined the race at this year’s MWC Shanghai.

The chip manufacturer announced that it is working on making under-display sensors and is even already making samples. This scanner will be able to sit under OLED panels that are up to 1200µm thick.

An image provided by Qualcomm shows that their scanners will cut across three main categories:

1. Under-display scanners will be used for premium phones.
2. Under-metal and glass scanners will be used for high-end phones and will be able to scan through glass of up to 800 µm or aluminium of up to 650µm.
3. Under-glass scanners for mid and low tier phones that can scan through glass 800µm thick.

Qualcomm said the Scanners for Metal and Glass will be compatible with the new Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 660 mobile platforms while the Scanners for Display, Glass & Metal are designed to be compatible with future Snapdragon 800 series, 600 series, 400 series and 200 series mobile platforms. They will also work with non-Snapdragon processors and as standalone sensors.

Qualcomm says their scanners will be able to detect fingerprints underwater and also heart beat and blood flow for a more secure authentication.

Qualcomm and Vivo Partnership

The highlight of the announcement is the partnership with Vivo. Qualcomm says it is working with the Chinese manufacturer and will display modified versions of the Xplay6 sporting Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Display at the Shanghai Mobile World Congress.

This announcement is the final piece of the puzzle that makes everything clear. It turns out that Vivo won’t be announcing a new phone with an under-display scanner but will be demoing Vivo Xplay6 units with the technology. Plus that video we saw is genuine but probably a demo unit.

READ MORE: Qualcomm Will No Longer Use MSMxxxx Nomenclature for Its Mobile Platforms

Qualcomm has released a time-frame for when the scanners will hit markets:

• Commercial samples of Fingerprint Scanners for Glass and Metal will ship out to OEMs in July 2017
• Engineering samples of Fingerprint Sensor for Display will be received in October 2017.
• Commercial samples of Fingerprint scanners for display are expected in early 2018.
• Commercial devices with Fingerprint Scanners for Glass and Metal are expected to launch in early 2018
• Commercial devices with Fingerprint Scanners for Display are expected to launch in Summer 2018.

(Source, via)

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The Vivo Xplay6 was released last year sporting a dual curved 5.46-inches 2K display and a Snapdragon 820 processor. Although there were complaints regarding the choice of the chipset seeing as the Snapdragon 821 was already in the market, the Vivo Xplay6 has gone on to sell a lot of units.

Originally launched with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, Vivo is breathing new life into the phone by releasing a new variant. The new version will have 64GB of storage but still keeps the 6GB RAM. However, just like the original, it wouldn’t have a MicroSD card slot.

You still get a 4080mAh battery, a 12MP Sony IMX362 sensor paired with a 5MP camera for depth of field effect on the rear and a 16MP front facing camera. There is also a fingerprint scanner embedded underneath the home button.

READ MORE: Vivo X9s Plus Specifications, Images Leaked on TENAA; Arriving with Downgraded Specs?

The new variant is priced at ¥3998 (~$580) and will be available in gold and rose gold. The matte black version released a few months ago will remain exclusive to the 128GB version. If you are interested, you can head to JD.com to pick up a unit.

The post Vivo XPlay6 Gets A Cheaper Version For The Less Storage Hungry Users appeared first on Gizmochina.

Vivo announced the Vivo Xplay6 in November as a successor to the Xplay 5 released in March of the same year. Bringing a number of new features such as a dual-curved display, dual rear cameras, and an upgraded processor (Snapdragon 820), the Vivo Xplay6 could be termed as a late-comer to the flagship party.

When it was launched, the Xplay 6 was only available in Gold and Rose Gold. However, there was a black variant that didn’t get released but was available on one of the promotional posters. It appears that starting this week, you will now be able to purchase a matte black version of this dual-curved beauty. The announcement was made by Vivo a few days ago.

The specs for the new color variant remain the same. The curved display is a 5.46-inch Super AMOLED 2K display, 6GB of RAM, Snapdragon 820, 128GB of storage, and two 12MP sensors at the back. The front camera is a 16MP sensor and there is a fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button. Vivo has packed the Xplay6 with a 4080mAh battery with support for fast charging. There is also a dedicated Hi-Fi audio chip for improved audio quality.

READ MORE: BBK Expanding Its Frontiers,OPPO & Vivo hitting The Russian Market Soon

The Vivo Xplay 6 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow There is no news about a Nougat update yet though. But if you have been stalling on buying this phone because of its lack of a black variant, you should be able to do so starting later this week. Or you might just try and see if you can grab the matte black OnePlus 3T Colette Edition in Paris tomorrow. Last week Vivo released the same color variant for its X9 too, while that is priced at 2798 Yuan (around $406) which is the same price as the other color variants, there is still no price for the Xplay6.

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