Samsung to bring in-display fingerprint sensors to smartwatches

Samsung is said to bring a fingerprint sensor that will be placed underneath the display with its Galaxy S10 in early 2019. But, the new reports suggest that the company might bring the tech to its wearables as well.

According to the company's latest patent filing, the South Korean giant could be exploring ways to bring the fingerprint sensor into the display on its future smartwatches.

The feature could similarly how it works on smartphones, users will just have to place their finger on the display to unlock the wearable. The patent suggests that the company wants to use the force touch technology where the users will have to press the screen harder to unlock the device.

What's more interesting is that Samsung will use the force touch for only a few areas and not the entire screen. This also means that the fingerprint unlock will be limited to a specific part.

Samsung has also provided some technical details regarding the screen that can be used in case the patent reaches the mass production stage. The company also explained that capacitive, resistive, infrared, and ultrasonic sensors are all supported.

The Galaxy S10 is also said to incorporate an ultrasonic sensor, though there have been mixed reports surrounding this feature. While some reports claim that the device will have in-display sensors, others suggest that the feature could come to the entire lineup.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 will see the light of day in early 2019. As for the watch that will come with an in-display sensor could be the next-generation Galaxy Watch. But, this goes without saying that not all the patents come to the production stage. So we'll have to wait for the company to make an official announcement.

Besides, the company is also expected to launch its Galaxy A8s on December 10 in China. This will be Samsung's first smartphone to use the company's first Infinity-O display that has a punch-hole cutout for the camera.

The Galaxy A8s is rumored to arrive with a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. It is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 710 SoC.