The OnePlus 15T has finally caught up to Samsung’s ultrasonic biometrics

An era once existed when a six-inch screen would’ve been huge for a phone. Reader, I was there. That time has passed and nowadays it’s apparently considered a compact smartphone.

Smaller flagship smartphones still have a market and OnePlus is here with tantalizing specs for an upcoming new phone. The OnePlus 15T features a 6.32-inch OLED screen with a fast 165hz refresh rate, and it’s run by a powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

Supplied by Qualcomm, the OnePlus 15T also has a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint biometric in-display sensor. The OnePlus 15T launches in China on Tuesday, before it launches internationally, and the company’s sleek new flagship now has a biometric sensor that puts it on par with a Korean rival’s flagship.

Samsung’s Galaxy S series started using ultrasonic sensors with the S10 and S10+ from Qualcomm and while those early sensors could be a bit hit-and-miss, the technology has improved significantly since 2019.

Suprema has supplied biometric algorithms for the Samsung Galaxy S series since 2019, with the Suprema algorithm reading and matching signals from the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2, which has been used in S-series phones since the S21.

As for the OnePlus 15T, the new phone is smaller than the 6.78-inch screen of the OnePlus 15 and the bigger, slightly older flagship also has a different ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The OnePlus 15 and Ace 6 series uses a Goodix ultrasonic fingerprint biometric sensor for unlocking.

The preceding OnePlus flagships, the OnePlus 13 and 13T, used optical fingerprint sensors instead of the more advanced ultrasonic sensors. (OnePlus skipped the number “14” for its model names.) A great capability of 3D ultrasonic biometric sensors is its detection of blood flow for liveness detection.

In 2026, many flagship Android phones use ultrasonic in‑display fingerprint sensors for quick and reliable unlocking. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series, however, introduces a new tool for anyone struggling with inconsistent fingerprint recognition. Like the OnePlus 15T, the Galaxy S26 series uses the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max fingerprint sensor.

Samsung has added a new “Improve accuracy” option for registered fingerprints. Selecting it prompts you to rescan the same finger ten times, refining the biometric profile and boosting unlock reliability. Android Authority confirmed the feature on their Galaxy S26 device. It’s found under Settings > Security and privacy > Screen lock and biometrics > Fingerprints. Choose an existing fingerprint, then tap Improve accuracy.

The Galaxy S26 lineup ships with One UI 8.5, and this update is set to roll out to more Samsung devices soon. Among its additions is the fingerprint‑enhancement tool, designed to reduce failed scans by helping the device better interpret your existing biometric data.

Earlier versions of One UI only allowed you to add, rename or delete fingerprints. The new Improve accuracy feature goes further, letting you refine an existing fingerprint without removing it and starting over. It’s a small but useful upgrade for anyone who relies on biometric unlocking.

The Improve accuracy is part of One UI 8.5 but it’s not yet clear whether the feature will come to older phones such as the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  fingerprint sensors  |  Goodix  |  OLED  |  Qualcomm  |  Samsung  |  smartphones  |  ultrasonic fingerprints  |  under display