Leading smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung are rumored to be working on under-display fingerprint scanner technology since late 2016. However, reports had revealed that since both the companies encountered technical problems in embedding the biometric recognition feature under the display, they were unable to make the advanced technology available on their 2017 flagship phones. Vivo that is currently the fifth largest smartphone manufacturer in the world has officially confirmed today that it will be debuting a new variant of the Vivo X20 Plus smartphone as the world’s first smartphone with under-display fingerprint scanner on 24th January.
Vivo had launched the Vivo X20 Plus alongside the X20 smartphone in China in September last year. The Chinese manufacturer has confirmed it will be launching the “Vivo X20 Plus In-Screen Fingerprint” variant through a launch event in Beijing China on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The smartphone has been approved by 3C and TENAA certification bodies in China earlier this month.
In December 2017, Synaptics had introduced its Clear ID 9500 optical in-display fingerprint scanner. It had also confirmed that an upcoming Vivo phone would be featuring its Clear ID fingerprint sensor. During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 that was held earlier in this month, Vivo had showcased the X20 Plus smartphone with the Clear ID sensor.
The X20 Plus features the under-display fingerprint reader between outer glass panel and AMOLED display. Hence, users will have no problems in unlocking the smartphone with wet, dry or cold fingers. It can unlock phones in around 0.6 to 0.7 seconds. Also, it can be used for authenticating payments.
The TENAA certification of the Vivo X20 Plus In-Screen Fingerprint phone has revealed that it will be featuring the same specs that are available on the regular X20 Plus. Hence, it houses a 6.43-inch AMOLED display and it is fueled by Snapdragon 660 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. It includes an inbuilt storage of 128 GB.
The Android 7.1.2 Nougat flavored with FunTouch OS is expected to come pre-installed on the upcoming Vivo phone. The 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual camera setup resides on its back panel. It features a front-facing camera of 12-megapixel. It is packed with a 3,800mAh battery.
The X20 Plus was launched with a price tag of 3,498 Yuan (~Rs. 34,899). The new variant featuring in-screen fingerprint sensor is speculated to be priced at 3,998 Yuan (~Rs. 39,885). Neither the X20 or X20 Plus smartphones are available in India. Hence, there is no confirmation on when the X20 Plus In-Screen Fingerprint version will be arriving in the country.
