Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard chatter that all major smartphone makers are currently trying to embed a fingerprint sensor underneath the display. While Samsung is having trouble making it work, Apple is said to have integrated the Touch ID under the display on its upcoming iPhone 8, which everyone believed would be the first to make this a reality. But, the Chinese phone maker Vivo may beat the Cupertino giant to the punch.
While many of you, reading this in the United States, may not be well-acquainted with Vivo but it has been ranked among the top five in terms of smartphone shipments in China. The company is known to introduce devices with cutting-edge features to attract consumers to its devices. It has recently been banking on people’s obsession with selfies and has integrated a high-resolution lens and flash in the front of the device — a feature that was missing from the competitor’s devices until recently.
Now, the Chinese smartphone giant is looking to take on the big boys by trying to become the very first smartphone maker to make an on-screen fingerprint sensor available on its next flagship device. A four-second long video clip of a Vivo handset has surfaced on Chinese Twitter-like social media platform Weibo and it shows the person unlocking the device by placing his finger on the screen of the smartphone. He then places the Vivo device on its front to show the lack of a fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device.
This integration is being mulled over to provide smartphone manufacturers more real-estate on the front of the device — a chance to expand on the size of the screen while retaining the ease of using the fingerprint sensor. They will not have to place it next to the camera, making it uneasy to reach and smudging the rear lens everytime you try. Sorry, Samsung Galaxy S8, this is surely a menace on your otherwise gorgeous device.
