“The two high-end Galaxy S10 models will come fitted with an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint scanner while the other one will house an optical fingerprint sensor beneath the screen,” industry sources told the investor.
The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for the S10 lineup will be exclusively supplied by US chipmaker Qualcomm
The ultrasonic fingerprint technology creates a 3D mapped fingerprint instead of a flat image used by an optical scanner--the most-used fingerprint scanner types for high-end smartphones.
The ultrasonic scanner boasts more accuracy than the traditional ones as it is not affected by grease, sweat, or light.
An optical sensor, which is around three times cheaper than the ultrasound sensor, works like a digital camera, capturing a two dimensional image of fingerprint. It is considered relatively easy to spoof as it makes use of a 2D image to authenticate users, and its accuracy rate tends to decrease if the finger being scanned is dirty, too wet or dry and external lights get in the way.
The disadvantages, however, do not mean the optical scanner is too immature to be in place as it works great most of the time.
“The in-screen fingerprint scanning will take center stage in the smartphone market in 2019,” said Lee Dong-joo, an analyst from KTB Investment & Securities, in his previous investment report, adding most of the major fingerprint sensor makers are working with Samsung Display, a dominant player in the smartphone OLED display market, to incorporate the biometric sensor in the OLED display.
The official launch is expected to take place in February while the phones will likely hit store shelves in March.
