LG’s first own fingerprint scanner can sit under the glass of the smartphone

Manufacturer LG has made a fingerprint scanning module that can be placed behind the glass plate on the front of a smartphone. It is the first time that the South Korean manufacturer announces a fingerprint scanner.

The LG sensor requires a recess of 0.3mm under the glass plate. LG claims that because the scanner is located under the screen, it is automatically protected against dust and water. The manufacturer claims that in 0.002 percent of the cases, the scanner mistakes someone else’s fingerprint for that of the user, a margin of error that would be comparable to that of current scanners.

It is the first time that LG has announced a fingerprint scanner. The South Korean group says it is in talks with various manufacturers. Last year, the manufacturer installed a scanner in three new devices. The Nexus 5X has an FPC1025 from the Swedish Fingerprint Cards, the V10 and G5 have an FPC1035 from the same scanner maker.

LG is not the first with a scanner that can be placed under the glass on the front of a smartphone. Qualcomm presented Sense ID, an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, last year. Fingerprint Cards came at the end of last year with the FPC1200 series, which can also be placed under the glass. No scanner has yet been presented that functions under the screen itself. For that, a scanner would have to be completely transparent.