The Google Pixel 6 Will Feature an Under-Display Fingerprint Scanner and New Changes

In an unexpected recent announcement, Google met fans with an early preview of the upcoming Pixel 6 lineup that will be introduced to the market this fall.

The device will be powered by the custom Tensor SoC, high-spec cameras, a sleek design, and numerous AI gimmicks.

It appears that Google is finally making the big step of putting its mid-range status behind and challenging the flagship devices of other companies.

The Pixel 6 is a huge step up over its predecessor in many ways. The company even stopped using a back-mounted fingerprint reader and opted for an under-display fingerprint reader, similar to what can be seen in top-end flagships.

The tech giant confirmed that the upcoming Pixel 6 lineup would be equipped with under-display fingerprint readers.

That detail was first announced silently during the second Developer Preview of Android 12 in March of this year due to several hints regarding the under-display scanner.

Some unofficial renders further backed up the rumours, which depicted the lack of a physical fingerprint scanner on the device’s rear side.

The company hasn’t officially revealed if the fingerprint scanner is optical or ultrasonic.

Still, some speculations suggest that the sensor is optical considering that the Android 12 code mentions compatibility with “HMB” – High Brightness Mode, which is primarily used to boost optical fingerprint recognition by improving the brightness levels of the display in the area surrounding the sensor.

Also, both upcoming devices will drop the under-display earpiece we saw on the Pixel 5, resorting to a more traditional approach – a regular earpiece speaker.

Still, that information is only known thanks to leaked renders, so you should take it with a grain of salt, as the company didn’t officially announce anything on that subject.