New FPC sensor designed for entry-level smartphone market

Fingerprint Cards (FPC) has introduced FPC1028, a touch fingerprint sensor developed for integration of touch fingerprint sensors in the entry-level segment of the smartphone market.

According to a statement by the company, FPC estimates its addressable market for fingerprint sensors to reach approximately 600 million units in 2016 and to grow to just over one billion units in 2017. FPC’s addressable market excludes Apple but includes other smartphone manufacturers globally, as well as market segments such as smart cards.

The growth in number of units in 2017 is expected due to the integration of touch fingerprint sensors in the entry-level smartphone segment, which according to Strategy Analytics is estimated to reach somewhat more than 500 million devices, representing approximately 30 percent of the total smartphone market.

FPC1028 is FPC’s most cost-efficient solution for smartphone manufacturers and will enable smartphone manufacturers to integrate a touch fingerprint sensor in the entry-level segment for secure and convenient user authentication. The lower manufacturing cost is due to a smaller sensor surface area as well as the total system solution, which has helped to reduce costs for integrating the touch fingerprint sensor in a fingerprint sensor module.

“FPC1028 is a groundbreaking touch fingerprint sensor that we believe will substantially increase the market penetration of fingerprint sensors in smartphones in 2017, due to its cost-efficient design,” said Jörgen Lantto, CEO of FPC. “Smartphone manufacturers will now be able to offer consumers convenient and secure biometric authentication in all smartphone models in the customers’ product portfolio. In the same way as FPC’s other OneTouch fingerprint sensors, FPC1028 offers the industry’s best image quality, highest robustness and lowest power consumption, which also allows smartphone manufacturers to offer a great user experience in smartphones for the entry-level segment.”

Full qualification of FPC1028 is scheduled for the second half of 2016, and the first commercial smartphones integrating FPC1028 are expected to be launched in late 2016/early 2017.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  fingerprint technology  |  smartphones  |  touch sensor