One of my favorite aspects of folding phones is the return of the fingerprint sensors built directly into the power button. This is objectively the ideal design, for reasons I assume I don’t have to explain.
Lately, however, the novelty of folding phones is wearing off and I’m starting to think I’d just like something lighter and sleeker. Are there any recommendations for a phone with a power-button sensor that still has good specs and cameras?
Edit: for the purposes of this post, physical sensors on the back of the phone also count, since they can wake the phone and unlock it simultaneously.
And to clarify (I thought this was a thing everyone just inherently agreed on), the benefits of physical sensors are:
- accuracy. A physical sensors will always be more accurate (and thus have fewer issues) because it doesn’t have to work THROUGH the screen. This has been improved a lot with newer technologies like ultrasonic readers, but it is literally impossible to be better than the same technology utilized without a screen in the way.
- wake/unlock in one motion. Since it’s also a button, it can wake the phone and unlock it in one motion, rather than 2 separate ones. Again, newer tech has sort of worked around this with things like lift to wake or just having the sensor area ALWAYS scanning so you can unlock it from sleep regardless, but these are clunky software implementations that rely on your phone constantly actively trying to to figure out whether you’re doing the thing or not, so it again can’t be as efficient as just a normal button. Battery impact for these is also pretty minimal for the most part, but it’s still not zero.
- tactility. You can feel the button, and manufacturers can put it where your hand naturally rests, meaning that you can unlock the phone BEFORE you have even taken it out of your pocket.
- cost. Physical sensors are hella cheap y’all. The technology to read the ridges on your finger through a sheet of plastic and glass is (turns out) kind of expensive. We’re all being forced to pay for this dumb gimmick.
- durability. Screens get scratched and dinged up, which compromises the sensors ability to read. Physical sensors on the other hand are basically the most durable part of the phone. Again, mostly a non issue on newer phones, but it’s yet another thing manufacturers have had to dump money into working around (and thus charging you more for).
- not impacted by screen protectors, rain on the screen, etc.
While I don’t like the under screen fingerprint reader (getting flash banged at night by it is a problem), and I prefer the back of phone fingerprint readers we used to have, I know at least two people that have had their phone replaced repeatedly by Samsung for the side button fingerprint reader failing.
I also have a pixel tablet with the power button fingerprint reader and it’s awkward as hell especially with a case. I can’t say that I’m completely against the in screen fingerprint reader (on my pixel 8 it works pretty much all the time), but I will say I definitely have a preference for other options. The placement of the power button also means I wouldn’t be able to use it with both hands (the fingerprints from both hands), in the event that my dominant hand isn’t free or the fingerprint I normally use is damaged etc.
Mind you, there are two types of under screen fingerprint sensors: optical and ultrasonic.
Optical blasts the finger with light and forms a 2d scan. It’s pretty slow and arguably worse than conventional (capacitive) scanner on the back of the phone.
Ultrasonic, however, because it uses sound waves, maps a 3d scan. It is significantly faster than conventional scanner, and it also doesn’t care about your fingers being wet.
Ultrasonic sensor only requires a quick tap to unlock the phone. It’s actually really convenient to use, I like those. I’d take the capacitive sensor over optical one, though.
This is a really good point. I haven’t really used any ultrasonic fingerprint readers so I have nothing to compare it to. I will say that on my pixel 7 it was more finicky and I had more false readings.
your pixel 8 works almost all the time? mines fine until a get my hands wet (and for a while afterwards when they’re still wrinkly), after working on my car and my hands arent perfectly clean, and sometimes it just decides it’s not gonna work even though my hands are clean
I would imagine that different people use their phones differently. At work I use my phone mostly for picture documentation which I use frequently but with a shortcut. So I don’t have to unlock my phone all the time and when I do I’m usually wearing gloves so I’ll use the pin instead of the fingerprint reader anyway. As a result very rarely am I using the phone when my fingers are wet, covered in grease or oil, etc. Cuts and burns do have a detrimental effect on the accuracy of my fingerprint sensor but they also don’t happen enough on my fingertips to be a serious problem for me. As a result, I’m not having a lot of the same problems frequently that other users who use their phones under these circumstances do.