Qualcomm has just announced the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2, the latest version of the on-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which seeks to enhance the original model in almost every way. The new version offers a larger surface area for the sensor and faster processing to unlock phones even faster.
The company is making a big leap here: the new Gen 2 model measures 8mm x 8mm, compared to the 4mm x 9mm surface area of the first-generation model, for 77 percent more surface area. This in turn means that it will be easier to place your finger accurately on the sensor, and this enables the sensor to collect more data with each scan. By combining the larger sensor with faster processing, Qualcomm promises that scanning a fingerprint to unlock a phone will go 50 percent faster with the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2.
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Qualcomm’s first generation ultrasonic sensor – the 3D Sonic Sensor – made its debut in 2018 in the Galaxy S10 series of phones. At the time, almost every other information reader used an optical scanner, which was reportedly slower and less reliable than the new ultrasonic one.
But the reality seems to be the opposite: the first-generation 3D Sonic sensor encountered numerous problems, including an extremely problematic security flaw that caused readers to unlock phones with almost any fingerprint when used with some screen protectors. (Samsung would later fix the problem with a software update.) And the company recently released another patch for the Galaxy Note 20 series that addresses similar issues with the screen protectors.
The new sensor is technically the third Qualcomm ultrasound fingerprint reader not to be shown, following the original 3D Sonic Sensor and the 3D Sonic Max (introduced in 2019) – which is actually just a much larger version of the sensor from the was first generation, but it had no real speed improvements. Although the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 does not quite match the 3D Sonic Max sensor (which measures a whopping 20 mm x 30 mm), the speed improvements should compensate for that.
Qualcomm says the first phones featuring the new 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 would be available in early 2021. The company does not mention any partners or more specific timing in its announcement, but it is noteworthy that Samsung is expected to unveil its latest Galaxy S21 devices on January 14th. Samsung has so far been the largest customer for Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint readers, having used them in its S10, Note 10, S20 and Note 20 lineup for the past two years.