Based on materials from android-softwares.com
Over the past few years, fingerprint scanners have gained a noticeable desire for travel. It all started with the original, probably the most convenient option – under the screen. And then manufacturers began to place them, inventing more and more options: on the back, then on the side of the smartphone and, finally, at the end of 2018, we first saw a fingerprint scanner built into the screen.
These built-in scanners have allowed manufacturers to ditch wide bezels and create truly impressive smartphones, with edge-to-edge displays. The technology of these sensors is also impressive, allowing you to penetrate the glass of the screen and read the intricacies of your prints, matching them with a sample and unlocking the device in a split second.
Needless to say, users were eager to try this technology in the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. After a while, OnePlus also adopted an in-screen fingerprint scanner in its latest OnePlus 6T.
So what do we have at the moment?
In-screen fingerprint scanners only work under a certain set of conditions.
The use of one of the world's first smartphones with a fingerprint sensor of this type has shown that so far the technology does not even come close to comparing with a traditional scanner in terms of ease of use and accuracy. This can be a source of constant frustration for the user.
What does it mean? It is worth clarifying that in the OnePlus 6T material used by the author, the fingerprint scanner unlocked the smartphone most of the time. However, all attention must be focused on the apparatus to touch the sensor in the right place and at the right angle. And then, more often than not, the technology will work well. However, for better or worse, our phones have become such an important and multifaceted part of our lives that we unlock them dozens and hundreds of times a day to check what's going on. And a significant part of such unlocking attempts occur at moments when something distracts us, on the go, in a hurry – and no one sets aside a special time to focus on unlocking.
And it is at such moments that these newfangled scanners are especially annoying. Too often you fail to create the ideal triggering conditions: you place your finger incorrectly, or you push the sensor with insufficient force (the in-screen fingerprint scanners require more pressure), or something else. Instead of unlocking your smartphone, you see an animation and nothing happens. You try again and it works … or it doesn't work. Sometimes you have to repeat it three times or more. And sometimes nothing helps, the scanner doesn't work, and you have to enter the code. This does not repeat itself every time you unlock, but it happens every day.
And that's not to mention the annoying screen backlighting at night. These new optical sensors illuminate your finger to recognize it, and at night this means your smartphone screen will shine directly in your face in total darkness, and nothing can be done about it.
Will the in-screen fingerprint scanners improve?
At first, no …
So, we are talking about the current generation of in-screen fingerprint scanners, and the experience with them turns out to be similar on the OnePlus 6T and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Similar, that is, equally unsatisfactory.
We all love it when futuristic technologies appear in our lives – including these endless screens and other cool things that are made possible by built-in scanners. However, so far we lack speed and accuracy. And while on the Mate 20 Pro you can switch to face recognition, which works well enough, in the case of the OnePlus 6T, you can't rely on it, as the face is poorly recognized in low light, and as a result, your user experience is worse than with earlier smartphones. where a traditional fingerprint scanner is installed.
Will the described situation have a negative impact on the future of technology? Let's hope not. Samsung is rumored to be rolling out a new type of in-screen fingerprint scanner based on ultrasonic technology in its flagship Galaxy S10 series in early 2019. And this could be a real breakthrough.
A question for OnePlus 6T and Mate 20 Pro users – what about the fingerprint scanner in your smartphones? Are you satisfied with his work? And a question for all readers, which remains relevant: which unlocking method remains preferable for you and what do you expect in the future? Welcome to comments!