This Chinese tech company wants Apple to build its own in-display fingerprint sensor

February 28, 2017

This Chinese tech company wants Apple to build its own in-display fingerprint sensor

Goodix fingerprint sensor

BARCELONA, Spain — Goodix, a Chinese technology manufacturer that has released a fingerprint reader that can be embedded within the screens of smartphones, wants Apple to produce its own version of the feature for the iPhone 8.

That's a surprising statement — once Apple releases its own version of an in-display fingerprint sensor, Goodix's product is no longer new and innovative.

But CTO Bo Pi told Business Insider at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Apple launching its own sensor will likely lead to even more Android phone manufacturers wanting to buy Goodix's sensor.

Goodix's product is sold directly to Android phone manufacturers who can use it in their own devices. It means that people don't have to rest their thumb or finger on a physical button, but instead can unlock their phone by placing a finger directly on the screen at a designated point.

Goodix fingerprint sensors are currently found in Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE, LG, Nokia, and ASUS phones, the company said. But it expects demand to increase when Apple builds its own version.

Apple is rumoured to be working on its own in-display fingerprint sensor for the upcoming iPhone 8. It is expected that Apple will remove the physical home button entirely, instead increasing the screen size of the device. Fast Company reports that Apple may even remove the power and volume buttons, which would mean the iPhone 8 will have no physical buttons.

You can see a video of Goodix's in-display fingerprint sensor here: