the fingerprint reader integrated in the screen reaches

the fingerprint reader integrated in the screen reaches.

Despite leaks and rumors, manufacturers almost always manage to surprise and today Huawei has kept an ace up its sleeve. Although the protagonist of the afternoon may have been that Huawei P20 Pro with triple camera, the one that has not gone unnoticed is the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS and its on-screen fingerprint reader.

It is not a feature that we have not seen before, since since Synaptics announced that it was working on it together with Vivo we saw it precisely in a terminal from that manufacturer. Now it is Huawei who clears loudly from Paris and introduces this feature in this mobile, which in the end ends up offering ways of unlocking for all tastes.

What was already invented

As they said in Engadget Mobile, in the end it was neither Apple nor Samsung who introduced the integrated fingerprint reader on their mobile phones before the rest, when rumors based on patents and changes pointed to these manufacturers. We saw it in the past CES, being able to test this type of fingerprint scan in our own hands.

Thus, as we have already seen, it is about a chip inserted under the panel that is not visible and that works at the moment as long as the screen is activated. The security level is the usual one (256-bit encryption) to protect our data and prevent anyone from entering the mobile, and it also works with a wet fingerprint.

What we saw is that we were facing a first generation product, with some immaturity that emerged with aspects such as a very small detection area or the fact that it only works with the screen on. Although it went quite fast and responded correctly, without reaching the efficiency of the last generation physical fingerprint readers but remembering those we saw a few years ago.

The first of the “other greats”

At Synaptics they assured us that after Vivo they were already working with “other major mobile manufacturers”, summoning us to the Mobile World Congress. But finally we have had to wait almost a month more because the moment has come with Huawei, being the first of those great ones that they mentioned.

The Huaweui Mate RS It is once again a special edition of the manufacturer in alliance with Porsche, so the finishes looking for elegance and stand out in design are almost implicit and this is what has stood out from the terminal. But it is also the first top of the range that integrates this fingerprint reading, since as we saw in Engadget Mobile the Vivo X20 Plus UD has rather mid-range specifications, with a Snapdragon 660 and 4 GB of RAM.

In fact, the features are shared with the Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro, Huawei’s (other) new flagships. Also has the triple camera of the second, its 6 GB of RAM and the processor of the house that all three share: the Kirin 970.

The battle for clear fronts, clear backs and not giving up comfort

Those from Synaptics also said that the integration of on-screen fingerprint reading responds to a need created by the search for fronts with increasingly reduced frames in favor of (almost) everything being a screen. The most representative example of this need is the iPhone X, which represented the break with a stoic standard of aesthetics and functionality that Apple maintained since the birth of its terminal, postponed with the introduction of TouchID.

The wait was perhaps due to the improvement of FaceID, the system that Apple launched with this terminal and that, as we mentioned, has not only a front camera, but also an infrared camera, a support light and an infrared projector. Something that currently represents an advantage at a technical level of other solutions, although the implementation of facial recognition that we have tested on mobiles such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 + or the OnePlus 5T not bad at all (perhaps it is a more irregular experience).

What we see in Huawei is a solution to the liking of all audiences: integrated fingerprint reading on the screen, on the back and facial recognition

At the moment, what we see in Huawei is a solution to the liking of all audiences: fingerprint reading integrated in the screen, on the back and facial recognition. Perhaps it is the prelude to a Huawei Mate 20 with a front to the iPhone X or ASUS Zenfone 5, although in the case of the brand by precedents it is a bit surprising that they are going to rush both the lower edge and to dispense with the opportunity to insert the logo of the house (or as in this case, the signature of Porsche).

A first flagship with this feature that does not break into the market, perhaps rather clears his throat starting at 1,695 euros for the version with 6GB and 256 GB of storage and continuing with 2,095 euros for the 6GB and 512GB version, leaving far behind that fearsome barrier of 1,000 euros that it was long overdue. Huawei has therefore snatched the pole position from Samsung, Apple and the rest of the greats, will it be the “first” of many or will we see other paths on the part of the industry? With this and with the triple camera, of course things get interesting (and expensive).

We have corrected an error in the specifications table: none of the three have a microSD tray.