Qualcomm has announced a new 3D sonic fingerprint sensor that is 50% faster and only 0.2mm thick

     Qualcomm has announced the second generation of its 3D sonic sensor. The second generation of 3D acoustic sensors can provide a better user experience due to their enhanced technology and acoustic effects (ultrasound). The new smartphone components are able to scan fingerprints through solid surfaces such as glass and metal even when wet.

     Back in 2019, the company released its first generation of sensors, most notably used in Samsung's Galaxy S10 and S20 series of devices, which offered an alternative and vastly different technology compared to rival optics-based fingerprint sensor solutions. Many flagship stores already use Qualcomm's next-generation 3D sonic sensor for in-display fingerprint scanning, including the Samsung Galaxy S10, Note 10, S20 and Note 20 series.

     However, the biggest user criticism of the first-generation sensor is the activation size as well as the sensor's recognition speed, which is addressed in Qualcomm's second-generation 3D sonic sensor. The second generation of 3D acoustic sensors can provide a better user experience due to their enhanced technology and acoustic effects (ultrasound). The new smartphone components are able to scan fingerprints through solid surfaces such as glass and metal even when wet.

     Compared to the 36mm²4x9mm design of the first-generation design, the new sensor is said to be 77% larger, now covering an area of 64mm² in 8x8mm dimensions. Doing so allows for 1.7 times more biometric data, the company says, and the larger area can also help with the relaxed position of the finger when unlocking the phone.

     The second-generation 3D sonic sensor is still very thin, with a thickness of just 0.2mm - perhaps one of the biggest advantages over rival optical fingerprint sensors, which require at least some kind of lens system and are often thicker.

     The new faster processing speed will also enable the new generation of sensors to be up to 50 percent faster than their predecessors, which is expected to bridge the performance gap in optical sensors, which generally still prove superior in terms of speed.