Do you guys think features like a fingerprint scanner will make or break a decision to purchase a particular smartphone? Ever since Apple debuted Touch ID on its iPhone 5s, the rumors have been swirling that Apple’s Android competitors have started to consider adding such a feature to their devices, with the LG G3 being the latest victim of these rumors. Well if ever any Android OEM were to consider adding fingerprint sensors in their handsets in the future, perhaps Korea’s CrucialTec might be the company that they turn to for their biometric needs.
CrucialTec’s CEO, Ahn Geon-jun, has recently announced that the company has succeeded in developing a crystal ceramic material that can be used in fingerprint sensors. This material is said to be twice as durable as high-strength glass, although it is a step lower than sapphire. The upside is that it is cheaper and can be produced in one-tenth the thickness of sapphire glass, both of which are pretty compelling reasons to go with said material. With Touch ID, Apple has turned to the use of sapphire to help protect the sensor, and if the material was prohibitively expensive for Android OEMs to consider, perhaps this new crystal ceramic material would be an affordable alternative.
There’s no telling if CrucialTec’s technology will be widely adopted by Android OEMs, but with plans to convert their fingerprint module line to its crystal ceramic package line in the first half of the year, it looks like flagship devices like the LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 will not be taking advantage of the technology.
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