Fast Fingers

 

Market research firm IHS predicted on Oct. 13 that the global fingerprint sensor market would grow at least four-fold to reach US$1.7 billion in size by 2020. This trend will be led mainly by Samsung Electronics and Apple, and the number of smartphones and tablet PCs providing a fingerprint recognition function will increase from 317 million to 1.4 billion units between this year and 2020.

“Apple adopted the sensor in the iPhone 5S and Samsung Electronics is going to do so for a large number of its models to be supplied next year,” it said in a report. 

The two companies have used different types of fingerprint recognition. Specifically, the fingerprint has to be in close contact with the sensor in Apple’s products, whereas the finger has to be slid downward on the sensor in Samsung Electronics’. IHS said that the method adopted by Samsung is less expensive and is more suitable for mass-market handsets. 

Fingerprint sensors are expected to be in wider usage in the mobile market. Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and the like are providing more and more assistance for those who use such sensors. 

The growth of the market is likely to be particularly conspicuous in Asia. Asian companies such as Pantech, Fujitsu, and Chinese OEM manufacturers like Ellephone have adopted the technology. Huawei incorporated it for the Ascend Mate 7, and ZTE is planning to use it soon as well.

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