Samsung’s new foldable smartphones Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 are doing extremely well in the sales. It has only been 6 weeks since the new duo was launched, but over a million copies have already been sold. Originally from South Korea. Its low price has made it a top seller. Its most innovative feature, however, is support for the S Pen and an integrated camera. There was a longtime expectation that the Z Fold 3 would also have a fingerprint sensor, similar to the ones found in classic Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
On March 31, 2021, Samsung Electronics filed a patent with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) for a “foldable electronic device capable of detecting fingerprints through at least part of the screen.” The 51-page documentation was released today, October 7, 2021. The Galaxy Fold is used as the basis for the patent images. The problem is described first; Since a foldable phone has a flexible screen, it is more likely to display folds when pressure is applied to the screen. It does not promote the identification of fingerprints.
Therefore, existing technology has to be adapted to be applicable to foldable phones as well – only since the S Pen Fold Edition has also been adapted for the flexible screen. The South Korean manufacturer has found a solution to this. Samsung has also thought about the positioning of the sensor. The patent documentation shows that Samsung intends to process the sensor fingerprint in such a way that it can be used both through the cover screen and when the device is opened to the size of the Tablet. So it’s a double-sided fingerprint sensor.
Samsung has recently patented a folding phone that mentions an indisplay fingerprint sensor .However, until now there was no separate documentation available that also describes the applied technology.This patent, on the other hand, focuses entirely on the indisplay fingerprint sensor.The documentation builds on a patent that Samsung filed in South Korea in April 2020.In the meantime, quite some time has passed, which makes it all the more likely that the next generation of folding phones from Samsung will be equipped with an indisplay fingerprint scanner.
Third-generation Galaxy Z smartphones have been available for just a month and a half. It will be another 10 months before the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. At the moment, little is known about the foldable phones expected in 2022. It is clear that Samsung is optimizing the brand further. production, so that the next generation of folding devices can be brought to market at a lower price. Notably, the Z Fold 4 seems to have a significantly lower selling price year after year. The current model hit the market for € 1,800, which is € 200 less than its predecessor. In this way, Samsung wants to keep its leader in the foldable smartphone arena. Several smartphone brands are expected to launch a foldable phone within the next six months, so this relatively new market will be shaped at a rapid pace.
