Google Pixel Notepad, Pixel Tablet to Skip Under-Display Fingerprint Sensor; But Why?

The Made by Google event witnessed the launch of new devices including the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel Watch. The brand also teased its venture into the tab market with the Google Pixel Tablet. A new report claims the Google Pixel Tablet and the alleged Pixel Notepad will skip an in-display fingerprint sensor. Will this move help Google take on competitors or will it backfire?

The Google Pixel Notepad is going to be the brand's first venture into the foldable market. According to a report from 9To5 Google, the Pixel Tablet and the alleged Google Pixel Notepad will feature a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of an under-display sensor. The report cites new codes that revealed the display resolutions for both devices.

Google Pixel Notepad, Pixel Tablet To Skip In-Display Fingerprint Sensor

Google Pixel Notepad was one of the newly leaked devices, rumored to launch next year. Coming in as a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the upcoming Google Pixel Notepad is said to offer a 120Hz display for the inner display.

The report from 9To5 Google now talks about the fingerprint sensor for the Google foldable phone and tablet. The upcoming Google devices will feature a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of an under-display fingerprint reader.

The report talks about an uncovered Android code that tests the UI of a side-mounted fingerprint reader. Moreover, the code is being tested on two specific devices. The first one is "Y-aligned" suggesting the fingerprint sensor is on either the left or right spine.

It also has two distinct configurations - folded and unfolded, suggesting a side-mounted fingerprint reader for the Google Pixel Notepad. Additionally, there's a test for an "X-aligned" device, suggesting the fingerprint reader would be placed either on top or bottom of the frame. This could appear for the Google Pixel Tablet, where the power button would be placed ideally.

Why is Google Not Using In-Display Fingerprint Sensor?

The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were the first phones from the brand to offer an in-display fingerprint sensor. However, users weren't thrilled about the shifting of the scanner from the back panel to the front display as it significantly slowed down the performance when compared to the Pixel 5.

Also Read: Google Pixel Notepad to Offer a 120Hz Display

Users now claim that Google has improved the performance of the Pixel 7 series. Many other brands like Samsung have also ramped up the performance of the in-display fingerprint reader. But this feature is still not available on foldable phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 as it could still dampen the speed and performance.

This could also be the reason why Google is skipping the under-display fingerprint reader for its foldable phone. The brand could have brought in the feature for the Google Pixel Tablet but it's still a challenge. This is because it's difficult to pinpoint a particular spot for the sensor as it's frequently rotated by the user.

Since the upcoming Google Pixel Tablet and Google Pixel Notepad are first-gen devices, one can expect upgrades and better improvements in their future iterations. We might witness this with the next-gen Samsung foldable as well.

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