Huawei shows fingerprint scanner behind LCD

Huawei has shown a prototype of a phone with LCD and fingerprint scanner behind the screen at its own developer conference HDC. That technology is behind OLED screens in current telephones.

The technology would work with an infrared camera, reports twitterer Xiaomishka. The technology of current optical fingerprint scanners behind screens does not work with an LCD, because it is impossible to see through the backlight of an LCD. Pixels from OLED screens do not need a backlight, so an optical scanner can look through them.

Huawei gave the demonstration at its own HDC developer conference in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. It is unknown whether Huawei has developed the technology itself or whether it is a screen from a supplier. For example, the Chinese BOE, which supplied the screen for last year’s Mate 20 Pro, has announced an LCD with fingerprint scanner behind the screen.

It is unknown whether Huawei wants to start using the technology in the short term. At the moment, many cheaper models from the manufacturer use capacitive fingerprint scanners on the back of the device. That is cheaper to produce and faster to use than the optical scanners behind OLED screens.