Called 3D Sonic Sensor Generation 2, the new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is 77% larger and more accurate.
Designed for high end devices and compatible with foldable phones, the second generation Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor promises to be 50% faster in fingerprint scanning than the previous version. At the same time, the activation area increased by 77% makes it easier to position the finger correctly, this being a problem often encountered in the first generations of smartphones with fingerprint sensor under the screen.
In addition, the active surface area increased from 4 × 9 mm to 8.8 mm can capture more biometric data in a single pass of 1.7x, significantly increasing the level of security offered.
The 3D Sonic Sensor Generation 2 chip is only 0.2 mm thick, which means that it can also be applied to the back of flexible screens, such as those used with folding phones. However, certain requirements, such as positioning the fingerprint reader on a fixed portion of the screen as far as possible from the folding area (s), are likely to be met.
According to Qualcomm, the second generation 3D Sonic Sensor will be available on smartphone products launched “in early 2021”. It remains to be seen whether the new Qualcomm solution came in time to be picked up on flagship phones ready for launch in the near future, such as the Samsung Galaxy 21.
Robert J. Smith is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including JoyStiq and Android Authority. In regards to academics, Robert earned a degree in business from Fordham University. Robert has passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.
