Google Reportedly Has a Plan for Its Pixel 9: Saying Goodbye to Its Most Criticized Tradition

News about the Google Pixel 9 Pro comes in dribs and drabs, but it's coming. This phone will reportedly bet on a Tensor processor manufactured by Samsung. It will probably be the last time we’ll see a Google phone equipped with this type of SoC. The cameras will be modest, as well as the design.

However, users have been asking for one feature in the Pixel for generations: a change in sensor. Traditionally, the Pixel has used an optical fingerprint sensor, which provides lower accuracy and slower unlocking. But users don't like it. They want what some consider to be the best alternative: an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. 

Optical sensors. An optical sensor works in a very strange way. It has a tiny camera located under the phone’s display. When you put your finger close to it, it takes several pictures of the fingerprint and compares them with the ones taken when you first set up the phone.

The main problem with this sensor is that this camera needs a lot of light to work, which is why these scanners produce a little “flash” when you put your finger on it. In fact, some become annoying at night because of the brightness they emit.

The small scanning area and the high dependence on ambient lighting limit the optical sensors.

Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. The alternative is the ultrasonic scanner. This technology is a bit more expensive, so not all manufacturers implement it. There’s no camera, but rather an ultrasonic system accompanied by a tiny microphone.

When you place your finger on the phone, the scanner uses ultrasound to map your fingerprint, taking into account the slight variations in the depth of the ridges on your fingertip. The microphone matches this data with the signals received when registering the fingerprint in the system. It’s more reliable and faster.

Google Pixel 9 Pro will reportedly be the first with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. According to Android Authority, Google’s 9 series will solve this problem: The company purportedly plans to introduce ultrasonic fingerprint scanners in its flagship phones.

If this turns out to be true, this feature will end the long tradition of using optical sensors that Google has maintained since the Pixel 6. Specifically, we’re talking about Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Gen 2 (QFS4008), the same under-screen fingerprint scanner used by phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Image | Xataka

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