US Co. Producing In-Display Fingerprint Sensor

Synaptics, the company responsible for handling the touch input on millions of laptop trackpads and smartphone screens, has announced this week that it has entered mass production with its first optical in-display fingerprint sensors. Titled Clear ID, these are expected to work exactly like the home button fingerprint sensors you might have known on Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S phones before this year’s Galaxy S8 and on Apple’s iPhones before the latest iPhone X. Only they will be more magical because you will be able to authenticate by pressing on the actual display part of the touchscreen, The Verge reported. Last year Synaptics announced its FS9100 optical fingerprint sensor “family.” At the time, it was merely a technological breakthrough — more a statement of intent than a forthcoming real-world product. Today’s FS9500 Clear ID, on the other hand, is going into full production.