Thanks to Fingerprint Cards, phone manufacturers can now design devices with a fingerprint sensor located underneath the glass cover. This sleek design will offer the same type of fingerprint authentication that is ubiquitous on smartphones, but instead of having an external sensor on the home button or back of the phone, the fingerprinting technology will be located under the display. Other than the streamlined look, the new design also offers better waterproofing and resistance to scratches, with the only caveat being a potentially slower fingerprint recognition time.

Companies that might adopt these under-glass fingerprint sensors include Google and Huawei, but it is doubtful that Apple or Samsung will use the technology; these companies have their own in-house manufacturers that may be working on similar technologies on their own. The fingerprinting reader market stretches far beyond smartphones, and this new design is the first step into creating a host of sleek, integrated sensors underneath the glass. A fingerprint-secured oven anyone?