OnePlus are certainly ramping up the hype before the announcement of the OnePlus 6T. CEO Pete Lau sat down and discussed the OnePlus 6T with CNET yesterday. Today they have posted on their forum the story behind their new in-display fingerprint sensor technology.
Called Screen Unlock OnePlus combined both hardware and software processes to provide an experience that is “reliable and efficient”. The new optical fingerprint module that is attached to the back of the display and houses a small lens to register the fingerprint when it presses down on the display. The display provides a light source for the module allowing it to read the fingerprint.
Fingerprint information is stored within the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Trust Zone and when you press on the sensor under the display your fingerprint is compared to the print stored in the Trust Zone.
OnePlus have apparently optimised the software and unlock animation to be as fast as possible and with the help of machine learning the more you use the fingerprint sensor the more accurate and faster it will become. OnePlus are promising a “momentous leap forward in unlock technology, delivering unmatched speed and convenience”.
OnePlus first looked to implement the in-display fingerprint sensor with the OnePlus 5T but found that the first generation hardware failed to “hit a consistently high recognition rate”, something you definitely need for unlocking your phone securely. After creating the fastest Face Unlock available OnePlus wanted to do the same for their in-display fingerprint sensor and feel they have that with Screen Unlock.
With the OnePlus 6T one of several phones set to be announced this month it will be interesting to see where it sits when the dust settles.
Do you like the idea of an in-display fingerprint sensor or would you prefer it on the back of the phone?
One thing I’m still curious about these on screen fingerprint unlocks; when it unlocks and your finger is still on the screen, do you then have to lift and touch to do things, or does it register your finger on the screen still and enact whatever is under your finger at the time?