This is how the iPhone 8’s biggest innovation will work

Apple will introduce a completely redesigned iPhone next year. According to multiple reports, the iPhone 8 that’s coming next September should feature a curved OLED display that will occupy most of the front and sides of the handset. Apple will also abandon its signature home button. That means all the features of the current home button will still be present even though the physical button is gone. Most importantly, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor present in the home button will stick around, finding a new home beneath the display itself.

Apple is not the only company pursuing smartphone design changes like this, as Samsung’s also rumored to be prepping a Galaxy S8 handset featuring an all-screen design with an embedded fingerprint sensor. It’s likely that other major players in the smartphone business will follow suit, and a component maker has just the technology these companies may require.

According to MacRumors, Synaptics announced a new fingerprint sensor that can be placed under the glass on a mobile device, shedding some light on how such technology will work. The sensors have been specifically designed to be placed under the glass, near the bottom bezel of phones and tablets. Because it’s placed under the screen, the FS9100 sensor would be scratchproof and waterproof, and will scan fingerprints even on wet fingers.