Vivo may be close to commercializing optical fingerprint sensors in smartphones, with the Dongguan, Guangdong-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) already having a working prototype of a device with an in-screen fingerprint reader, as suggested by a short video that leaked online earlier this week. Having originally appeared on Weibo, the four-second clip shows a device that resembles the Vivo X9 and X9 Plus, lacking both a physical home button and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The author of the video apparently still managed to unlock the smartphone with their fingerprint by simply placing their thumb on a part of the display panel showing a fingerprint icon. The clip itself is a strong indication that the BBK Electronics-owned tech giant may be releasing a device with an in-screen fingerprint reader in the near future, with the source of the leak also stating that the company will be the first in the world to do so, while the first non-Chinese OEM to implement that technology in its products will be Apple, presumably with the upcoming iPhone 8 lineup that’s scheduled to be announced later this year.
If the video is legitimate — and a functionality like this could be faked with an always-on display feature of any device — it’s possible that the consumer electronics manufacturer commercializes an optical fingerprint reader with the upcoming successors to the Vivo X9 and X9 Plus that were originally announced in November 2016. The same industry insider also reiterated recent reports that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 won’t ship with this technology, without providing more details on the matter. Other sources previously claimed that the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer won’t commercialize mobile in-screen sensors before spring 2018 and the Galaxy S9 series, despite the fact that the company has been working on such a solution since at least last year and was originally expected to implement it into the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus that were released in late April.
Vivo recently announced a Shanghai event that’s scheduled for June 28, though the firm didn’t disclose its contents, leaving open the possibility of it announcing a smartphone with an optical fingerprint reader. Refer to the source link below to watch the short video of the supposedly functioning prototype of such a handset.
