Flashback: two decades of fingerprint readers on mobile devices

07 August 2022
Following the journey of fingerprint readers as they land on mobile devices and eventually move under their displays.

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I'm still angry about the iPhone X.
They should have gotten rid of FaceID and the notch. Have no bezels on the sides, but a tiny bezel on the top-side and mirror it for the bottom. Just like the Meizu 16XS. That way they can fit the Selfie Cam, and all the sensors in there. And move the rear/side-firing speaker as two front-firing stereo loudspeakers.

So how do you get in?
Just embed the TouchID into the Apple logo on the back.

And while they're at it, don't use weird aspect ratios. Anything between 17.5-to-20.5 (:9) is wasted screen space. You could go straight to 21:9 which is popular for Ultrawide content, and push the industry towards it, so you wouldn't be wasting screen. Or be more conservative and stick to 16:9 where most content already is. Or you could stretch it a little to 17:9 if you wanted to round the corners and embed the Selfie into the display area/status bar. Three good options. And if you aren't going to jump to USB-C, at least upgrade it to "Lightning X" port, so that they charge faster (like Oppo's Super-VOOC) and they're sturdier, and they have more bandwidth (USB 3.2 spec) which will come in handy later for iPhones, iPads, and iMacs.

At this point, I may as well design my own phone.
I would make the front and back, translucent and made of plastic. And needing to put on an "exoskeleton" with glass on the front and back. They could be glossy or matte, but they're all smooth to the fingers, and could come in a range of colours (opaque, clear, frosted, etc). That way when the phone is dropped, the chassis resists the impact, and it is absorbed into the exoskeleton. This can easily be removed and replaced, making phones more environmentally friendly.

And I'd overhaul the UI and UX, to make gesture navigation much better and more intuitive. After all that, it would then feel worthy of its expensive price. And the following year I would be sensible and call it the 11-family, with the 11S, 11M, 11L, as per the sizes. There would be no need to keep making the older devices. But who am I to say, compared to a massive conglomerate like Apple.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 3xK
    • 08 Aug 2022

    kek, 08 Aug 2022In terms of fingerprint readers, I use none. I prefer the p... moreSamsung phones had them too...
    Starting with the Note 7 (RIP) all the way till the Note 9, and every Samsung S/Note flagship in between...

      • D
      • AnonD-731363
      • SH3
      • 08 Aug 2022

      Anonymous, 08 Aug 2022You cant bypass iphone with photo. Something that could b... moreMan but you can.
      I bet you can. With a couple of try it will work.
      But fact is that fingerprint is always better.
      And you couldnt use your face ID when wearing face mask durring the covid spread disease.
      Fingerprint is better it nicely works at any time.
      Maybe not for womans which cant even go out from home without tons of cosmetics on their face and the phone will not recognize the user without 5-10 kilos of makeup.
      Another good reason why fingerprint is better.
      Maybe not for you but for rest of the world thats different story.

        • S
        • Samsung user
        • 8XV
        • 08 Aug 2022

        I mostly liked the iris scanning method of my Note8. It worked well except I have glasses and would remove them every time I unlocked my phone. Then, I switched to the fingerprint solution which is still the best way to secure my devices. Now I have an S10+ but it seems this sensor of it doesn't work well with the applied screen protector, but it still works good enough. With that being said, I like fingerprint authentication more than any other method as it still is the most secure one.

        (Also I can say Face ID isn't 100% safe as it can be tricked by almost similar faces. I open my brother's iPhone 12 Pro Max without the need to write the passcode as it recognizes my face as his. Pretty interesting though, I'm not that much identical to him, so... still, I am with the idea of fingerprint scanning)

          AnonD-731363, 07 Aug 2022Still fingerprint reader on a bottom or back of the phone i... more"face ID which can be easily tricked by picture or something like that."

          Face ID can't be tricked by picture 🤦🏻‍♂️ You are talking about Face recognition which only use photo to scan your Face.

          "There is nothing better than a fingerprint readers. "

          There is, it's called Face ID, wouldn't go back to Fingerprint scanner anymore, it's just so nice how Face ID works in background, when i open my bank app it just opens, you need to press the screen. Same with whatsapp and others apps which might be behind lock. For me all of them just opens automaticly.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • Lkg
            • 08 Aug 2022

            AnonD-731363, 07 Aug 2022Still fingerprint reader on a bottom or back of the phone i... moreYou cant bypass iphone with photo.
            Something that could be done to tool eye ID of S8.
            Iphone face ID has Infrared sensor.

            Mi8 should have had one too, since was an lame/poor/failed copy of iphone X.

              blue, 07 Aug 2022Rear mounted is not bad. It actually is absolutely useless.... moreits not like using your phone like a tablet. why would anyone use on the table??

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • rJX
                • 08 Aug 2022

                IpsDisplay, 07 Aug 2022Maybe for you the front is most accessible based on your us... more"Ergonomically the rim of the phone is the most contact made with your finger"
                Ergonomically side is hard to reach. Rim of the phone depends on the thickness of the phone, how much rounded it is and the border around the sensor. Additionally having a case affects how much contact finger makes in the sensor. The contact area of side sensor is very less.

                "Actually the front requires some extra gymnastics to get to with the thumb"
                Front sensor is symmetrical, mostly centered, so can be used by both hands similarly. Sensor is at more convenient spot as you are already trained to interact with the screen, mostly within the keyboard area, where the finger spends most of its time interacting.

                  Anonymous, 07 Aug 2022Bruh, the Lenovo Vibe P1 from that same year (2015) also ha... moreVibe P1 is not cheap, it's cost almost $300 than Redmi Note 3 $150.

                  https://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_vibe_p1_and_p1m_pack_massive_batteries_two_sim_slots-news-13831.php

                    • k
                    • kek
                    • GBh
                    • 08 Aug 2022

                    In terms of fingerprint readers, I use none. I prefer the passcode. Have fun guessing how many digits and in which order they go.

                    Now, a really good idea was the Iris Scanner that the Lumia 950/950 XL & the HP Elite x3 used for Windows Hello. It was fast (for a first gen product) it wasnt affected by masks and it was safe, as far as I know.

                      IpsDisplay, 07 Aug 2022Smartphones are used lifted more than on a table by the maj... moreAnd when it's not in the hand, it's where? Display down on the table? Or do you hold on to your phone like it's life or death situation 24/7 ? Which is why Nothing phone's light shenanigans on the back make about as much sense. None to be exact.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-731363
                        • Lfw
                        • 07 Aug 2022

                        Still fingerprint reader on a bottom or back of the phone is always way better than kocking the screen or having the face ID which can be easily tricked by picture or something like that.
                        There is nothing better than a fingerprint readers.
                        Although i use a very complex password too.
                        25 symols letters small and big ones numbers etc of all kind which i remember for a very long time.

                          blue, 07 Aug 2022Under-display sensors are most favored, because they are ea... moreMaybe for you the front is most accessible based on your use

                          Ergonomically the rim of the phone is the most contact made with your finger

                          Actually the front requires some extra gymnastics to get to with the thumb

                          So honestly the side is most accessible

                            blue, 07 Aug 2022Rear mounted is not bad. It actually is absolutely useless.... moreSmartphones are used lifted more than on a table by the majority of people

                            So that's a weak arguement

                              • b
                              • blue
                              • 0CN
                              • 07 Aug 2022

                              roney, 07 Aug 2022On iPhone 12 and 13 the face id even works sideways. All yo... moreSlightly sideways, not half a meter away, as I have my phone typically at work. Or in the car. It was improved, but not perfected, therefore... reader wins.

                                • b
                                • blue
                                • 0CN
                                • 07 Aug 2022

                                Anonymous, 07 Aug 2022Rear mounted isn't as bad as you point out to be... I... moreRear mounted is not bad. It actually is absolutely useless. For every operation you have to lift the phone. No, thank you, we have moved forward.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 3xK
                                  • 07 Aug 2022

                                  blue, 07 Aug 2022Under-display sensors are most favored, because they are ea... moreRear mounted isn't as bad as you point out to be...
                                  It's convenient for many
                                  Oh and also, pull down for notification shade is so useful
                                  (Some phones had the option to use the rear fingerprint sensor to capture photos, which was by far the best use of the rear mounted sensor. The Vibe X3 had that feature afaik)

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • 3xK
                                    • 07 Aug 2022

                                    rizki1, 07 Aug 2022Let's not forget, the most popular phone with fingerpr... moreBruh, the Lenovo Vibe P1 from that same year (2015) also had a fingerprint sensor.
                                    It was not of the crappy type either, it was accurate and lightning quick (speaking from personal experience)

                                      • r
                                      • roney
                                      • Nxk
                                      • 07 Aug 2022

                                      blue, 07 Aug 2022Face recognition works only when you look straight at the p... moreOn iPhone 12 and 13 the face id even works sideways. All you need to do look at the phone and it is unlocked. In the iOS 16 preview it even works if you hold your horizontally too.

                                        I was not much happy with GS10's Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Vivo X80 Pro's Ultrasonic sensor is huge and much better and fastest I have ever used.

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