Vivo Debuts First Smartphone With In-Display Fingerprint Sensor At CES 2018
Sing it with us now—'Vivoooo Las Vegas!' Wait, that doesn't sound right. However, Vivo is a name to pay attention to, assuming you are not already familiar with the Chinese brand. That's because Vivo just unveiled the world's first smartphone to sport a fingerprint sensor embedded into the display. No small feat, that is something that both Apple and Samsung having been working to achieve.
In fact, it was largely assumed that Apple or Samsung would be the first to embed a fingerprint scanner into the display, rather than having it be part of a home button or on a dedicated spot on the back of the device. However, getting to that point has perhaps proven more difficult that either company anticipated, as there were reports that early implementations did not function reliably.
"Vivo In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology outperforms other authentication solutions available for full-screen smartphones in many aspects. Compared to fingerprint sensors on the back of smartphones, Vivo In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology offers a more convenient operation without sacrificing the sleek and unified design of the smartphone. It also enables quick and secured authentication," the company bragged in a press release.
Vivo also said that even though an embedded fingerprint sensor can be used for a range of functions beyond unlocking a phone, its implementation is "only activated when needed." In those instances, a graphical UI pops up on the smartphone's display, allowing users to unlock their phones, make mobile payments, and so forth. The rest of the time it remains hidded "and will not disrupt the overall visual experience."
As for the rest of the phone, what Vivo has been showing off at CES is an unnamed handset with a 6-inch OLED display. It is the same phone that Vivo brought along to Mobile World Congress (MWC) last year, essentially a modified version of its XPlay 6. At the time, Vivo explained it was using Qualcomm's new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is able to scan through an OLED display stack up to 1.2mm thick. It can also be used to detect heartbeat and blood flow.
Beyond that, the company has not revealed any other details. However, Vivo says it will announce the mystery handset early this year.
