Smartphones have evolved in a big way over the years, be in terms of design, cameras or even security. One of the most notable advances OEMs made in terms of security is advanced facial unlocking, which only Apple appears to have mastered in Face ID, and in-display fingerprint scanner. Both these features have been exclusive to premium phones but that could change soon.
Xiaomi VP and Redmi GM, Lu Weibing, announced a breakthrough in making the impossible possible. The company's R&D team made it possible to place a fingerprint scanner under an LCD display, which opens avenues for bringing the notable feature to budget phones. So far, smartphones with OLED displays have only been able to add in-display fingerprint scanner.
Redmi's gift to budget smartphones
Weibing made the announcement on Weibo that the Redmi R&D team overcame the problem of placing fingerprint scanner under LCD screens. The feature is ready for mass production and it could mean a great deal for consumers who want to experience the premium feature on budget phones.
Explaining how this works, Weibing wrote: "The innovative use of infrared high-transmittance film material greatly improves the transmittance of infrared light that could not pass through the screen. The infrared transmitter at the bottom of the screen emits infrared light. After the fingerprint is reflected, it penetrates the screen and shines on the fingerprint sensor to complete the fingerprint verification, which solves the LCD-Fingerprint problem."
Smartphone manufacturers use LCD displays to keep the phone's cost low. For that, they had to place the fingerprint scanner on the back or on the side. With this breakthrough, the premium phones will share the in-display fingerprint scanner with budget phones.
To prove the implementation works, Redmi also shared a video that shows the feature in action. It appears to work as seamlessly as it would under an OLED panel. It remains to be seen if the smartphones coming with this feature will work just as effecintly.
When is it coming?
Weibing did not reveal when we can expect the feature to be seen in budget phones. But he mentioned that it is ready for mass production. The first budget phone with a working fingerprint scanner under an LCD display will be released in China before it makes its way to other markets, including India. It could happen sometime this year.
