Qualcomm has decided to up its security game with a new update to the Snapdragon series that will see fingerprint scanning getting a boost.
The US-based chip-maker is launching Snapdragon Sense ID 3D fingerprint technology, which is a next-gen way of scanning your digits via a smartphone.
Qualcomm says it’s the industry’s first 3D fingerprint authentication system based on ultrasonic technology.
Currently, smartphones that offer fingerprint scanning make use of capacitive fingerprint sensors. Qualcomm, meanwhile, wants to get a much more detailed picture of your pokers using ultrasonic sound waves.
These higher-resolution scans will offer a big improvement to smartphone security, because the Sense ID system can provide much more detail and accuracy.
This is because the solution will use sound waves to penetrate the outer layers of your skin, which will detect fingerprint ridges and sweat pores unable to be captured by capacitive sensors.
They’ll even be to see through things like sweat, hand lotion, and condensation, giving them a huge advantage over existing sensory tech.
The Sense ID system can also see through sapphire, glass, stainless steel, aluminium and plastic. This is important, because it means you could theoretically put the fingerprint scanner just about anywhere on the device, including the display or beneath the chassis.
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Raj Talluri, Qualcomm’s senior VP for product management, said: “Mobile devices increasingly store our most valuable and sensitive information, while passwords alone do not provide the protection consumers deserve.”
“Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology’s unique use of ultrasonic technology revolutionises biometrics from 2D to 3D, allowing for greater accuracy, privacy, and stronger authentication.”
Qualcomm is going to roll out the tech to its Snapdragon 810 and 425 processors initially, but promises that the Sense ID system is designed to be compatible with all 400-, 600-, and 800-series chips.
Check out Qualcomm's Sense ID launch video below:
