Qualcomm is poised to revolutionize the future smartphones with its Snapdragon Sense ID, an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is smarter and better than Apple's Touch ID and could possibly aid in doing away with passwords completely.
On Monday, Qualcomm shared details about its Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology which is based on biometrics. This technology is an amalgamation of an in-built ultrasonic-based biometric reader with a sequence of algorithms that will enable a device to scan user fingerprints from any part of the device.
What's great about this upcoming technology is that not only is it simple to use, but also secure.
"Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology's unique use of ultrasonic technology revolutionizes biometrics from 2D to 3D, allowing for greater accuracy, privacy and stronger authentication," said Raj Talluri, SVP product management, QTI.
The 3D fingerprint scanner from Qualcomm basically deploys ultrasonic waves to authenticate a user's fingerprint. How this scanner differes from Touch ID is that it is able to read fingerprints even when they are wet, sweaty or covered in grime. That's not all, the Qualcomm fingerprint scanner can even read/scan data on a wide variety of materials be it plastic, glass, sapphire, stainless steel or aluminum. The advantage of this is that OEMs will be able to embed the technology easily in their devices without having to worry about compatibility with the material of their product.
Another advantage of this technology is that since it deploys an ultrasound sensor and not a capacitive one, manufacturers will be able to install the 3D fingerprint scanner from Qualcomm pretty much anywhere on their device.
The Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology is also touted as being more accurate, which means that no more swiping frequently in hopes that your fingerprint is recognized. Moreover thanks to its ability to "penetrate the outer layers of skin, detecting three-dimensional details and unique fingerprint characteristics, including fingerprint ridges and sweat pores" copying a user's fingerprint and breaking-in to a device.
The Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology will be compatible with the following Qualcomm SoC's: Snapdragon 400, Snapdragon 600 and Snapdragon 800-series. Devices touting the technology are expected to release by end 2015.
