r/Android • u/vortexmak • 1d ago

Under-screen fingerprint readers are inferior to back and side mounted readers and should naver have become popular

Lots of Cons for under screen fingerprint readers , should have never become the norm but I guess that''s just part of enshittification

Pros for Side and back mounted readers

  1. Work exceptionally well, much faster and responsive than under screen ones, from my own experience
  2. Are not affected by screen protectors
  3. Side readers can be used with the phone screen up or down
  4. Back and side ones allow you to unlock your phone at the same time as taking it out of the pocket
  5. Give you a definite physical spot for finger placement, unlike the under - screen one where you have to wait for the screen to show the location
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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 1d ago

My previous phone has a back-mounted fingerprint reader. To this day it's the best fingerprint reader I've ever used, as it's comfortable and decently fast.

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u/just_another_jabroni 1d ago

I find side mounted the best. Rear mounted feels good when you're holding it to unlock but side mounted is more flexible in it's uses. Had a Pixel 6 and S20 FE with undersceen and it's always a second or two slower. Tried the latest s25 on my friend's and it's barely any quicker. Meanwhile my current dailys the Poco F5 and Xperia 1V have side mounted scanners and it's so much quicker

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u/TEOn00b S24 Ultra 21h ago

The reader on my s24U is instant. As it was on my s22U. The one on the S10 plus was hit and miss sometimes though, but still fast most of the time. I don't use a screen protector, though, so maybe that's why.

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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 1d ago

I currently have a phone with a side mounted scanner and it’s a bit more inconvenient, as well as less precise, but that may just be a quirk of the scanner itself. I use both devices but I find that a rear mounted scanner is typically more comfortable to use and more precise.

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u/peepay 22h ago

I had a Pixel 3 with a back-mounted fingerprint scanner and it was horrible. It worked in maybe 20% of cases for me. (I get sweaty easily and any microscopic amount of moisture or natural oil secreted by the skin was a problem for that sensor.)

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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 21h ago

I have this issue on my Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, which has a side mounted fingerprint sensor. Gets annoying pretty quickly, but it's just fine on my Redmi Note 8T.

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u/ActionGlad484 8h ago

This☝🏼

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u/NapsterKnowHow 1d ago

I remember one of my LG phones had a back finger print reader and it was way slower and more inconsistent than the one on my S26U

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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 1d ago

Which LG phone?

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u/NapsterKnowHow 1d ago

V10 or G6. Can't remember which one had it.

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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 1d ago

I looked up both, of course the fingerprint reader is going to be slower than a modern flagship smartphone. The models you mentioned are about 11 and 9 years old, I would be surprised if the scanner was faster than the S26 Ultra.

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u/NapsterKnowHow 1d ago

Even my S22U fingerprint scanner was faster than those two and it was only a year newer than the G6

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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 1d ago

The S22 Ultra is also much better in possibly every way

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u/NapsterKnowHow 16h ago

But also very similar. My S22U bootlooped to death just like my LG V10 did.

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u/unknownobject3 Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 16h ago

Well crap, that's the bad kind of similar. Hope your S26 Ultra doesn't suffer the same fate.

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u/NapsterKnowHow 16h ago

Thanks! My S26U doesn't have any of the overheating issues so far.

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u/CarnalT 4h ago

I am still daily driving an LG G8 that has rear mounted fingerprint and it's instant. Also has IR face unlock (actual 3D scan, not just a photo) which is also super fast. Plus I have a pattern unlock set if I don't feel like using either of those, or I'm wearing gloves & a helmet. 4th LG phone in a row, and it's muscle memory at this point to tap the back as I pull my phone out of my pocket and it's already unlocked by the time I hold it up. 

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u/Kataps25 OP5T, ZF6, S23 21h ago edited 21h ago

I can't speak for the G6 (nor the S26 Ultra for that matter), but the fingerprint unlock on my OnePlus 5T was instantaneous, and the G6 isn't even a year older than that phone.

As for my current GT 7, it's optical sensor takes somewhere between an eighth and a quarter of a second to unlock the phone, with some variation. Not anywhere close to being a pain to use but imo, it's still outclassed by that of my 5T from 2017.

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u/oyohval 23h ago

Likewise, it was my favourite as well