Fingerprint scanners embedded under the display is a dreamy feature, although not necessarily new with Samsung recently outing a trio of mid-range phones containing this technology. As most of us are probably not aware, this tech can only be used on OLED display panels. However, display manufacturer BOE appears set to be among the first manufacturers to offer in-display fingerprint scanning with LCD panels. This could surely pave the way for the feature to make its way to cost effective smartphones.
However, it could take some time to hit the markets. The source claims that BOE is expected to begin mass production sometime by the end of 2020, with devices in early 2020 potentially getting the feature. Given that thickness is one of the biggest challenges to embed a fingerprint scanner on an LCD panel, it seems like BOE has finally managed to produce an LCD panel thin enough to accommodate the sensor.
Given the popularity of budget and mid-range phones in the market, it’s no surprise that a large majority of the world’s population relies on LCD panels. In fact, even giants like Apple didn’t make the switch to OLED mobile displays until a couple of years ago, with all previous iPhone models sporting LCD panels.
There’s no word on exactly how much cheaper (or expensive) this new display will be compared to conventional LCD panels. But it’s fair to say that we can expect to see plenty of sub-$250 phones with in-display fingerprint scanners by early 2020.
Via: Digitimes