More than 1 billion smartphones with fingerprint scanners to ship in 2018: Counterpoint

Fingerprint scanners are likely to become the standard feature on smartphones for authentication that will ship next year, according to the latest research from Counterpoint.

Counterpoint research, biometrics, fingerprint scanners, Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, phones with fingerprint scanners, fingerprint scanners smartphones

Over a billion smartphones with a fingerprint scanner will be shipped in 2018, according to Counterpoint Research.

Fingerprint scanners are likely to become the standard feature on smartphones for authentication that will ship next year. According to the latest research from Counterpoint, over a billion smartphones with a fingerprint scanner will be shipped in 2018.

The fingerprint scanner has become a key feature in smartphones, regardless of the price point. For instance, Xiaomi Redmi 4, which is priced at Rs 6,999, also comes with a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. Chinese smartphone makers are increasing using a fingerprint scanner on smartphones to better compete with both local and international players.

This is possible due to “rising scale and declining cost of the fingerprint sensor”, making it the standard feature on low-end and budget smartphones. The surge in services such as digital payments and mobile banking are some of the biggest reasons why the fingerprint scanner is becoming an essential feature on smartphones.

Story continues below this ad

Samsung, Apple and Huawei continue to remain on top by shipping smartphones with a fingerprint scanner. (Image credit: Counterpoint Research)

“Reliability of the fingerprint sensor is major issue, as most of the capacitive fingerprint sensors can be easily spoofed. However, with the latest fingerprint sensors that have live finger detection, or employ ultrasonic fingerprint sensing technology to create a 3D image of the fingerprints, it is potentially more secure and should be the next factor of differentiation for OEMs”, said Neil Shah, Research Director, Counterpoint Research.

Samsung, Apple and Huawei continue to remain on top by shipping smartphones with a fingerprint scanner. In the second quarter of 2017, Samsung topped the list among phone makers for shipping 12 per cent of all phones with a fingerprint scanner. Apple and Huawei had 11 per cent and 8 per cent market share. In terms of adoption across the total portfolio shipments, Apple and Xiaomi led, followed by Huawei and Oppo.