As Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series nears launch, more information is slowly trickling out, with the latest rumor suggesting that the phones will sport a much larger ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display. While it is no surprise that the device components are receiving an upgrade for a new generation phone, the leak from Twitter user Ice Universe provides more information on the specifics of the upgrades.
The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor of Galaxy S21 is 8×8=64mm, which is 1.77 times higher than the previous generation, and the unlocking speed is doubled. You don’t even need to press it, just tap to unlock.😼
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 9, 2020
As per the source, the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is said to be at least 1.77 times larger, measuring 64mm2, and doubling the unlock speed. A larger fingerprint sensor will greatly improve the accuracy of the sensor thanks to the larger surface area, bringing a welcome improvement for the firm’s devices. The South Korean company went with the ultrasonic kind for its high-end devices starting with the Galaxy S10 series, which has not seen huge upgrades ever since.
It will also be interesting to see if the said improved sensor comes from Qualcomm. The chipmaker introduced the 3D Sonic Max sensor last year that was touted to be the largest fingerprint sensor in the world capable of accepting two fingerprints at once for authentication. While the company announced that it will be working with BOE to bring the offering to its displays, there is no word on whether Samsung too plans on introducing the new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in a future product.
The Galaxy S21 series is expected to be unveiled next month – earlier than the usual launch schedule.