JDI says no to under-glass fingerprint sensors instead builds it into the LCD panel itself

Japan Display Inc. better known as JDI has seen the latest developments in fingerprint technology shown off at CES by Synaptics in the upcoming Vivo X20 and said ‘Hold my beer’ instead announcing a new transparent fingerprint sensor that is built into the LCD panel.

The new technology is a bold step for JDI who is using this launch as a step into the sensor business. The new technology is called Pixel Eyes and builds the transparent silicon based capacitive touch sensor into the LCD Panel. The sensor can detect the changes in capacitance caused by the recesses and ridges of an individual’s fingerprints.

The sensor is built right into the glass substrate of the LCD glass, meaning that the technology does not require an OLED panel like the Synaptics technology which will appear in the Vivo X20 which will launch shortly.

The initial sensor from JDI will measure 8mm x 8mm (160 x 160px, 508dpi) but the company says they will expand the lineup to include larger or smaller sensors as required.

JDI sees this new technology being built into both smartphones and laptops, but also has eyes on the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) market. They will be developing the technology further, building thinner and flexible fingerprint sensors to be used in those applications.

We very likely won’t be seeing the new Vivo X20 launching here in Australia but the potential for transparent or under glass sensors on phones with almost no bezel is massive for fans of front-mounted fingerprint sensors. It probably won’t be coming any time soon, but hopefully phones with this built-in won’t be too far away.