News about the Google Pixel 9 Pro comes in a trickle, but it’s coming. It will be a phone that relies on a Tensor processor built by Samsung, possibly the last time we’ll see a Google phone equipped with such an SoC. The cameras aim to be somewhat conservative by design.
But there’s an element in pixels that we’ve been enjoying for generations, a heritage that we’ll never fully understand. he Fingerprint reader These phones have been optical for generations. This means both lower accuracy and slower unlocking. The reason? Because ultrasonics is the key.
Optical reader. An optical reader works in a very curious way. They are equipped with a small camera located under the panel. When we bring our finger closer, the numerous photographs taken with the fingerprint are compared with the ones taken during the initial configuration.
The main problem is that this camera needs a lot of light to work, and this is the main reason the readers emit a small “flash” when you place your finger. In fact, there are things that become annoying at night, because of the brightness they emit.
These readers are quite limited, as the detection area is small and they depend somewhat on ambient brightness.
Ultrasonic reader. An alternative to this type of reader is ultrasonic. This is a slightly more expensive technology, so not all manufacturers are encouraged by it. There is no camera here, but rather a very small microphone with an ultrasound system.
When we rest our finger, our fingerprint is mapped by ultrasound, taking into account small changes in the depth of our finger grooves. The microphone is responsible for comparing this data and the signals it receives when registering a fingerprint to the system. It is a more reliable and faster system.
Google Pixel 9 Pro, the first with an ultrasonic sensor. According to Android AuthorityGoogle’s Series 9 will solve this problem: the company plans to introduce an ultrasonic fingerprint reader in its flagship phones.
This ends a long tradition that they have been maintaining since the Google Pixel 6. Specifically, we’re talking about Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Gen 2 (QFS4008), which is the same under-screen fingerprint reader used in phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24. Ultra.
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