Xiaomi may ditch the fingerprint sensor on the Mi 7 and use Face unlock

Xiaomi may follow Apple's footsteps and ditch the fingerprint sensor in its upcoming flagship device, the Mi 7. According to a report by My Drivers, Xiaomi may use 3D face unlock technology, similar to FaceID on the iPhone X.

This new report contradicts earlier rumours about Xiaomi using an under-display fingerprint sensor to minimise the bezels on the device. The company was expected to use Synaptics' recently announced under-display fingerprint sensor.

Xiaomi to take the iPhone X route?

Incidentally, the in-display fingerprint sensor were supported by renders published by GizChina. The renders revealed both the front and back of the device showing features like dual cameras and an 18:9 display with minimal bezels. The edge-to-edge bezel-less display makes the device look similar to the Mi Mix 2.

Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun had earlier confirmed that the Mi 7 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. But not much is known about the device yet.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm and Vivo had demonstrated the in-display fingerprint sensor – even though the demonstration was on a prototype device, the technology seemed impressive, albeit a little slow. The slow response times could have pushed Xiaomi to change its plans and ditch the fingerprint sensor for its next flagship device, taking the iPhone X route.

Rounak Jain

Rounak has been writing about technology for over five years now. Prior to Business Insider, he has worked with Tech Radar and PCMag where he covered the latest news and reviews of gadgets. In his free time, he likes to follow cricket.