Redmi is bringing in-display fingerprint sensors to phones with LCD screens

Affordable Redmi phones featuring the tech might arrive later this year

What you need to know

• Redmi today showcased its in-display fingerprint technology for LCD displays.
• The company says that the technology is ready for mass production.
• Current in-display fingerprint solutions are only compatible with AMOLED displays.

In January 2018, Chinese smartphone brand Vivo unveiled the X20 Plus UD, the first phone to ship with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The feature has now become standard fare on Android flagships and is becoming increasingly common in the mid-range segment as well. While current in-display fingerprint solutions only work with OLED panels, Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi announced today that is has successfully managed to implement a fingerprint sensor under an LCD panel.

The technology was demonstrated in a video shared by Redmi general manager Lu Weibing on Weibo. Since OLED displays don't require a backlight module, in-display fingerprint sensors can easily transmit optical or ultrasonic signals to complete the fingerprint verification.

Redmi has managed to overcome this limitation with the use of "infrared high-transmittance film material." The company says the technology is ready for mass production, which means we may possibly see Redmi phones with LCD optical in-display fingerprint sensors later this year. What remains to be seen, however, is if Redmi's in-display fingerprint solution for LCD panels will be comparable in terms of performance to ones that are currently available for OLED panels.

Goodix, which supplies in-display fingerprint sensors to several Chinese Android OEMs, had announced late last year that it would begin mass production of in-display sensors for LCD displays in early 2020. Provided things go as planned; we could see the tech being used in budget phones from companies like OPPO, Vivo, Motorola, and Huawei in the second half of the year.

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