With iPhone X Debuts, Apple's Face ID Shift Android Makers' Focus From Under-Screen Fingerprint Readers To 3D Sensing

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Android hardware makers have turned their attention away from under-display fingerprint...

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Android hardware makers have turned their attention away from under-display fingerprint readers and toward 3D sensing technologies like those Apple debuted with iPhone X, a flip-flop designed to capture customer sentiment. Kuo says that since Apple launched True-Depth Camera and Face ID in September, the Android camp's demand for potential 3D sensing solutions has tripled...

While under-display optical fingerprint recognition is only a spec upgrade from capacitive solutions, 3D sensing embodies a revolutionary user experience and warrants a premium on gross margin. 3D sensing not only enables facial recognition in security applications and allows users to create fun expressions like Apple's Animoji, on a more important level, it is a key factor in the development of AR. We therefore believe brand vendors are willing to spend more for related components.

Currently, the solutions available to Android phone vendors are said to be from Qualcomm and Himax, Orbbec, and Mantis Vision, with the more mature Qualcomm-Himax solutions attracting the most attention. Allegedly Apple is also developing its under-display Touch ID solution, though the company finally chose Face ID as the iPhone X secure system solution.

Kuo went on to say he believes the next two to three years will see shipments of 3D sensor-equipped Android devices to exceed those with under-display fingerprint recognition by a factor of two or three or more. This will be mainly due to 3D-sensing's wider compatibility with LCD screens than under-display optical fingerprint recognition, which is exclusive to OLED panels, said Kuo. 

As Kuo previously said that it will take Apple's Android competitors up to two and a half years to replicate the functionality and user experience of the TrueDepth Camera on the iPhone X. He thinks Apple's TrueDepth camera prove to be popular with consumers, all of the company's future iPhones are likely to adopt the feature.

Finally, the KGI analyst predicted which Samsung's continual dominance of the high-end OLED panel market over the next two to three years will mean shipments of under-display optical fingerprint recognition will remain significantly capped. 

Via AppleInsider And MacRumors, Image Via Android Central