Fingerprint sensors used to be something you’d primarily find on business-class laptops. But a growing number of smartphones feature built-in fingerprint scanners which let you unlock your device or perform other actions using your unique fingerprint instead of a password.

Now Synaptics has introduced a new fingerprint sensor which the company says offers even better security. That’s because the company’s Match-in-Sensor has its own system-on-a-chip architecture and firmware that lets it recognize your fingerprint without offloading any of the processing to your phone.

match-in-sensor

The Synaptics Match-in-Sensor is isolated from you phone’s operating system. That means the sensor lets your device know that it recognizes without actually transmitting any fingerprint data the way a Match-on-Host system would.

Synaptics says the technology is currently sampling with smartphone makers. There’s no word on if or when we’ll see actual products shipping with the system.

match-in-sensor_02

While Synaptics is probably best known for making the touchpads used on laptops, the company also produces touchscreen technology and Synaptics recently introduced the SecurePad which is a laptop touchpad with a built-in fingerprint reader.

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5 replies on “Synaptics unveils fingerprint sensor with its own chip for better security”

  1. I don’t take part in the voluntary worldwide NSA fingerprint database

  2. I don’t let ANY of my body parts participate in ANY sort of N-factor authentication scheme, they are too easy to cut off.

  3. I won’t use fingerprint scan security ever since the court ruling that owners CAN BE compelled to unlock their phones with their fingers without a warrant. Passwords are protected so at least the police need a warrant before they can go “fishing” in your phone.

    1. if they dont know which finger it is, can you “Accidentally” put the wrong finger on until is wigs out and requires your password?

  4. Maybe in the Note 5 since Samsung seems to only be using Synaptics so far for fingerprint.

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