Frustrated with inaccurate, slow in-display fingerprint scanners? Here’s the solution!

Everything about the new Qualcomm 3D sonic sensor is better than its predecessor/ © Qualcomm.

What is also intriguing is the fact that the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 – in spite of its size – isnt the largest ultrasonic finger print scanner made by Qualcomm. That honour is reserved for the companys 3D Sonic Max sensor which the company showcased at the Snapdragon Tech Summit in 2019. This season, regrettably, hasnt made an appearance on a mobile phone.
With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 just days away, possibilities are high you will get the opportunity to use this brand-new in-display finger print sensing unit soon.

While it was more protected compared the optical finger print sensors that we are used to, the major chink in its armour was the reality that it was noticeably slower than its allegedly inferior optical brethren. The new 3D Sonic Gen 2 finger print sensor from Qualcomm – which is really most likely to make its launching with the Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup – brings substantial enhancements over the previous design. What is likewise intriguing is the truth that the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 – in spite of its size – isnt the largest ultrasonic finger print scanner made by Qualcomm.

Clunky, unreliable in-display finger print scanners might become a distant memory as Qualcomm prepares to debut its new 3D Sonic Gen 2 fingerprint sensor with the Samsung Galaxy S21 series later on this week. The brand-new, much bigger finger print sensing unit is the successor to Qualcomms first-generation 3D Sonic Sensor that we saw on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S20 series.

Tech lovers reading this might recall that in 2018 Qualcomm presented the very first generation 3D Sonic sensor which used ultrasonic waves for authentication. While it was more protected compared the optical fingerprint sensors that we are used to, the significant chink in its armour was the fact that it was visibly slower than its allegedly inferior optical brethren. It was also popular for not working well with damp fingers. Samsung continued using the same sensing unit on the entire lineup of its flagship devices in 2019 through 2020..
Not any longer.
Larger is (practically) always much better when it pertains to sensors.
The new 3D Sonic Gen 2 fingerprint sensing unit from Qualcomm – which is highly likely to make its launching with the Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup – brings considerable improvements over the previous model. The very first and probably the biggest (pun planned) difference between the older and newer sensing unit is the large difference in size. At 0.79 x 1.18-inches, the new sensing unit is significantly bigger than its predecessor that measured just 0.16 x 0.35-inches throughout. For those who do not understand the math, the new sensing unit is an enormous 77% larger than its predecessor..
The result?
Qualcomm claims that the brand-new sensing unit is not only 50% faster, however also works much better with wet fingers. The bigger physical size of the sensing unit is what lets it record 1.7 x more biometric data, making it a lot more secure and faster than the previous design.