Google will do away with sub-screen fingerprint scanner: what technology will be used in future smartphones and tablets?

Google may soon do away with the on-screen fingerprint scanner. New smartphones and tablets, including the Pixel Tablet and the long-awaited foldable Pixel smartphones expected in 2023, will get lateral fingerprint sensors.

In its Pixel 6 series, Google moved the fingerprint sensor from the back of the phone to the display, but users didn't like the innovation: even after several fixes, the sub-screen sensors perform worse than normal sensors.

In the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, Google improved sensor performance and added the ability to unlock the phone by face. However, these two devices will likely be the last to use a sub-screen fingerprint scanner: the 2023 devices will revert to traditional sensors, with which unlocking foldable models will work regardless of whether they're folded or unfolded.

Experts at 9to5Google have discovered code to verify a fingerprint with the side sensor on Android devices. The code mentions that the screen resolution of one of the devices is 1840 x 2208 pixels. This is the screen expected in the foldable Pixel. The resolution of the second device - 2560 x 1600 - is the expected resolution of at least one of the versions of the Pixel Tablet.