Fingerprint Reader
(Fingerprint Scanner)
A hardware sensor to read a person's unique fingerprint, to verify a person's identity.
It can be used in place of a password to unlock a phone, unlock certain content or services, or confirm a financial transaction.
The most common type of sensor is a small fingertip-size pad that reads the whole fingerprint at once upon being touched. Some older sensors consisted of a thin strip that the user swiped their finger over.
Last updated Feb 7, 2017 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
