Known for ripping off Apple in the past, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has beaten Cupertino in bringing to market a futuristic ultrasonic fingerprint sensor reported to be the same one Apple plans to use for the iPhone 8.
In its new Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus handsets, Xiaomi debuts a new “ultrasonic fingerprint sensor,” which promises to be more accurate than current fingerprint sensors. Check out a video of it in action below.
The idea of an ultrasonic sensor is that it can provide more accurate fingerprint sensors, which should mean an end to scenarios like failing to unlock a smartphone because your fingers are dirty or wet — although we’ll have to try it out for ourselves to see how well it works.
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In addition to the futuristic Touch ID-style sensor, Xiaomi’s new smartphones also boast an improved camera and faster processors, as well as a price point considerably lower than the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which should make them a big hit in China.
Still, while Xiaomi may technically have beaten Apple to the punch, Apple’s futuristic Touch ID could turn out to be more impressive overall. As explained in a patent filed by Apple last year, Apple hopes to utilize finger biometric sensing pixels which could be embedded into the smartphone display itself.
If it truly is far more advanced than Apple’s Touch ID, however, this would certainly be an impressive advance for a low-cost Chinese OEM that hasn’t always been known for its innovation.
Via: The Verge
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
7 responses to “Xiaomi beats Apple to embedded ultrasonic fingerprint scanner”
Xiamoi is using Qualcomm’s sensor. It’s off the shelf tech that’s available to any OEM. Being first to incorporate off the shelf tech isn’t innovation, it’s marketing.
By contrast, Apple has patents (patent 9,342,674, etc.) for a system that is also based on ultrasonic technology but is behind the display and considerably more advanced. That’s innovation.
Nice way to put a spin.
If it’s available to any OEM, why didn’t Apple include it on the lacklustre 7? Oh – because then anyone can’t use it and it can’t be Apple proprietary.
About your blather about “more advanced” ultrasonic technology – at this point it’s still vaporware. We’ll see – in a year, I guess.
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Unlock Xiamoi, Apple has patents on this technology. Companies without real R&D rush half baked solutions to market based on whatever commodity parts are available. Companies like Apple develop more fully thought out solutions. If nothing else, the fingerprint scanner should have taught you this lesson. Remember the half baked Motorola Attrix attempt? Apple didn’t just put out a better scanner, they baked entire e-commerce solution, complete with secure enclave, etc. It’s taken years for the knock-offs to catch up on that front.
Ah so what makes them so brilliant? PATENTS!
Did they patent how to get a phone to bend in your pocket?
Did they patent how to remove a headphone jack?
Patents make it clear that they’ve done research and actually own intellectual property on the topic. As opposed to simply using off the shelf tech as the likes of Xiaomi and other such cheap knock-offs do.
My phone doesn’t bend, nor does it explode when I charge it.
So when Apple releases it in a year, can we see more articles about copy-cat Apple?