Do you think Google Pixel’s fingerprint sensor is good? [Poll]

Ben Schoon | Mar 7 2024 - 7:00 am PT

Fingerprint sensors are a mainstay of modern Android phones and, for most people, something we interact with on a daily basis. That’s why the fingerprint sensor on Google Pixel phones is so controversial, but what do you think about it?

Google’s Pixel series has supported a fingerprint sensor since day one, with the first few Pixel flagships using rear-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensors. These were praised by the community for years for the ergonomic placement and the ability to use the sensor to pull down the notification tray.

With the Pixel 4 back in 2019, Google took a slight diversion with its face unlock system, only to switch back with the Pixel 5.

But with the big Tensor reboot of 2021, Google made the switch to an in-display fingerprint sensor.

This, obviously, was controversial at the time, especially as Google’s sensor was a bit sub-par compared to others. Google opted for an optical sensor, which uses a bright light to recognize your fingerprint. This can be done well, as OnePlus proves, but the ultrasonic sensor used in Samsung devices has long been viewed as the crown jewel of in-display fingerprint tech. Making matters a bit worse was the fact that, in the Pixel 6, Google’s sensor was found to be much slower than other optical sensors, and many complained about accuracy issues.

Top comment by Warren Skipper

Liked by 19 people

I'm still using the Pixel 5 so the rear mounted fingerprint sensor is excellent. Works flawlessly every time and, as the article says, ergonomically is in perfect location. It makes unlocking the phone, apps and authenticating tap to pay a one-step process. I don't know why Google fixed something that wasn't broken?!

I tried the Pixel 8 Pro with its in-display fingerprint sensor and I found that it makes everything a two step process: 1) to wake the screen so you know where in the screen to put your finger and 2) to actually tap it. It did work every time I tried it. I admit though, that I didn't turn on always-on-display so I never experienced how that process is. Nevertheless, that extra step proved too frustrating for me to stick with which is why I'm still on the 5.

One thing I really hope Google doesn't do, or the rest of the industry for that matter, is abandon the fingerprint sensor altogether for the less secure face unlock, trying to mimic some other company we know.

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Over the next few releases, Google’s fingerprint sensor got marginally faster and more accurate. Personally, I find it totally acceptable on my Pixel 8 Pro, if still a fair bit slower than other devices like the OnePlus 12. But the Pixel’s fingerprint sensor has long been a subject of heated debate among the community.

While I do think there’s plenty of room for improvement, I do think the one thing the Pixel really gets right with the fingerprint sensor is the software side of it, especially when it comes to having both fingerprint and face unlock enabled. As I discussed in a recent edition of 9to5Google’s newsletter, the Pixel hands off between these two methods of biometric unlock seamlessly in a way that no one Android phone I’ve tried does. You usually just don’t know which method has been used, and that makes it really convenient, even if the sensor itself is a bit sub-par.

But what do you think? Is the Pixel’s fingerprint sensor good enough, or is it basically unusable? Vote in the poll and comment below!