[IFA 2015] CrucialTec supplies fingerprint solutions to Sony

BERLIN/SEOUL -- South Korean biometrics solution developer CrucialTec said Thursday it is supplying its fingerprint modules for Sony’s latest Xperia Z5 smartphone lineup.

The Korean firm’s fingerprint module, called Biometric TrackPad, is integrated into the power button placed on the right-hand side of Sony’s Xperia Z5, mid-range Z5 Compact and phablet-sized Z5 Premium. 

Sony unveiled the three smartphones on Wednesday, two days ahead of the opening of the IFA electronics trade show in Berlin. The Xperia Z5 sports a 23-megapixel front-facing camera, and the world’s first 4K UHD display.

A CrucialTec official said that the adoption of the BTP by Sony, one of the world’s leading electronics-makers, proves the superiority of CrucialTec’s biometric technology.

Global smartphone powerhouses have deployed fingerprint scanners in mobile devices since Apple had a fingerprint scanner featured in its iPhone 5S in 2013. Biometric technology has recently received the spotlight as it can be used in authentication processes for the rising mobile payment services.

Apple Pay and Samsung Pay -- the mobile payment solutions developed by Apple and Samsung, respectively --require users to identify themselves through fingerprint solutions when making purchases with the mobile devices.

Many smartphones to be showcased at this year’s IFA will be fitted with fingerprint scanners, and they will utilize CrucialTec’s biometric technology, according to the Korean firm.

Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei’s mid-range smartphone Honor 7i has also adopted the side fingerprint scanner leveraging CrucialTec’s fingerprint module, and Meizu and OPPO are also among CrucialTec’s partners.

By Lee Ji-yoon and Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)