Tech Guide – The Samsung Galaxy S21 is here and you can get it now. One of the new features introduced with Samsung’s latest flagship line is the 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor, or the 2nd generation fingerprint sensor. This Qualcomm sensor is the successor to the previous generation sensor that was first used on the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy S20.
The South Korean manufacturer claims that this new fingerprint sensor has a scanning area 1.7 times larger and can perform fingerprint scanning 50 percent faster. With faster scanning, you can start using your smartphone more quickly.
An editor from 9to5Google named Ben Schoon tested the Galaxy S21 smartphone sensor in a video he uploaded to Twitter. The video has been viewed by more than 500 people. It shows that the Galaxy S21 fingerprint sensor can unlock the screen very quickly. “The S21 fingerprint scanner is indeed very fast, but not better than the optical fingerprint sensor. It’s too early to talk about accuracy. However, this is clearly a significant improvement,” wrote Schoon.
Two Types of Fingerprint Sensors
Currently, most smartphones use two types of fingerprint sensors: ultrasonic sensors and optical sensors. In principle, optical sensors use light to scan the user’s finger, while ultrasonic sensors use sound waves. The difference is that light sensors can only create a 2D animation of the user’s fingerprint pattern, while ultrasonic sensors can create a 3D map, which in theory is more accurate and can be used even if the user’s finger is wet or not clean after activities.
Samsung previously embedded an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the Galaxy S20. However, the fingerprint sensor performance on that phone was not as fast as the Galaxy S21. This is one of the features of the Samsung Galaxy S21 that has a better speed in terms of the fingerprint sensor.