Future Samsung Smartphones Might Have Full-Screen Fingerprint Scanners

More and more in the last decade biometric scanning, or biometric authentication, technology is being integrated into the design of a vast array of devices, with the result being an enhanced level of security which was more difficult for companies to provide in the past. The technology creates a win-win scenario for both customers as well as businesses, with companies using these capabilities to create some client-centered solutions such as streamlining the boarding pass check-in process or even using the scanning capabilities to help hotel guests plan out their vacations more efficiently.

For highly trend-conscious smartphone companies, the incentive to use the technology is even more significant, in many ways due to the cyclical and upgradable perception that the typical customer has regarding the devices. Now, Samsung is looking for ways to possibly integrate a full-screen fingerprint scanner into its future smartphone designs. According to a US patent filed in April of this year, titled "Method for Acquiring Biometric Information and Electronic Device Supporting the Same", a biometric sensor and a minimum of one processor would work together, with the phone responding to touch input. 

How it All Works

Regarding the process itself, the low-energy processor will work to respond to finger detection by the sensor by gradually increasing the level of brightness on the screen. To ensure that there is a completely accurate reading, the fingerprint will be scanned a total of three times. By all indications, it appears that the technology will be fine-tuned so that it will work even when we try to scan and our hands aren't completely clean (After all, the smudges one could find on the surface of even the cleanest smartphone user's device are evidence of why this design consideration is important).

Perhaps the most important feature that sets the technology apart is that the version being developed will take up the whole screen instead of a small section, which in some ways is a symbolic acknowledgment of the growing demand for this integrated technology.

A Much-Welcomed Industry Trend

In a recent survey conducted by Gigya, a firm which generates comprehensive reports centered around customer identity and access management (CIAM), compiled their findings into a white paper, appropriately titled "Survey Guide: Businesses Should Preparing for the Death of the Password".  Offering a direct and critical tone, it outlines how the current password system essentially is a disservice to companies as well as clients, and further, it asserts that the reality of biometric scanning is one which is inevitable, and as such should be seen as a natural evolution of industry and technology. 

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The promise of improved device interaction for customers, the report underscores, is behind why the transition is occurring: "Consumers now expect more trusted and personalized experiences in exchange for their personal information, but businesses are struggling to protect user privacy in light of growing global security and privacy concerns. Since tolerance is diminishing for username and password processes, today’s businesses must find new ways to secure users’ data while delivering better customer experiences."