OnePlus shares the story behind the ‘Screen Unlock’ optical fingerprint sensor on OnePlus 6T

Ben Schoon | Oct 3 2018 - 6:22 am PT

The OnePlus 6T is just a couple of short weeks away from being unveiled, and today the company is sharing some more details. After confirming the feature last month, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau is further explaining the “Screen Unlock” feature.

In case you’re a bit behind on leaks, the OnePlus 6T has already been confirmed to pack an in-display fingerprint sensor, and leaked renders back that up further too. OnePlus calls this feature “Screen Unlock,” and it’s apparently been in the works for quite some time. Lau explains in a forum post that work on an in-display fingerprint sensor has been going on since the OnePlus 5T, but it’s never quite come to fruition until now.

Apparently, the OnePlus 6T will use an optical fingerprint sensor for Screen Unlock as opposed to an ultrasonic option. We’ve gone hands-on with these optical sensors before, and they seem quite promising. The company also mentions that it has worked hard to shave time off the unlocking experience as well as improving reliability.

Screen Unlock is much more than a module attached to the back of the screen, it encompasses a wide array of software processes and hardware components that were carefully tuned to work perfectly with the OnePlus 6T. It all starts with a new optical fingerprint module, which houses a small lens that can accurately register your fingerprint as it presses down on the cover glass. The screen is used as a light source to enhance the outline of your fingerprint, enabling the sensor to accurately read its exact dimensions and shape.

We spent months shaving milliseconds off the unlock time and carefully refining the unlock animation to ensure a satisfying experience. Through the use of several software algorithms, Screen Unlock will learn to recognize your fingerprint with higher accuracy through extended use.

Further, OnePlus mentions that the fingerprint data for this new sensor is stored within a “trust zone” in the Snapdragon 845 chipset. It’s also hinted that the company’s popular Face Unlock option will also be available as a secondary method of unlocking the new device.

The OnePlus 6T is rumored to debut with its Screen Unlock feature on October 17th.