Fingerprint scanners on smartphones at the moment largely exist as buttons, meaning that there needs to be a special cutout for the sensors to be placed in order for them to work. For smartphones from Samsung or Apple, this isn’t an issue as the scanners can be hidden in the home buttons.
For other phones that have relied on on-screen home buttons, a special cutout is needed, like with the Nexus 6P. However this could change with the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5s that could sport an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. We had heard rumors about this last week, and a recent teaser posted by the company (see image to the right) seems to have confirmed that.
While fingerprint sensors as buttons isn’t really an issue, this is a design “problem” that Qualcomm is trying to fix with Sense ID, where its technology allows the sensors to be embedded under the display, thus hiding it from sight. It also uses ultrasonic technology to read the fingerprint, and this technology is what Xiaomi will apparently be using.
Sense ID isn’t just about aesthetics as apparently ultrasonic technology will allow for more accurate fingerprint reading. For those who have struggled with the current-gen sensors due to sweaty fingers, this should prove to be advantageous. In any case Xiaomi is expected to make their announcement in the next 2 days, so check back with us then for the details.