AuthenTec
Since being acquired by Apple, AuthenTec has become the world's largest supplier of semiconductor fingerprint recognition sensors. Apple's Touch ID uses AuthenTec's technology. However, because it is exclusively for Apple, other merchants are no longer able to purchase AuthenTec's technology or products on the market.
FPC (Fingerprint Cards AB)
A Swedish company, it is currently the world's largest supplier of push-type fingerprint recognition sensors (excluding algorithms and algorithm chips), except for AuthenTec. Thanks to the fact that AuthenTec only provides products and technologies to Apple, FPC has become the darling of the non-Apple mobile phone camp. This year, many domestic mobile phones are equipped with FPC fingerprint recognition sensors. Such as: Huawei Honor 7, ZTE ARON, Meizu MX5, OPPO R7 Plus, OnePlus 2, etc.
FPC is currently very popular, but its sensor prices are not low. It is believed that as more fingerprint recognition suppliers’ products pass testing and small batch verification, the price of FPC will return to the normal range.
Synaptics
A US company, an industry crossover player, has been involved in the fingerprint recognition industry since acquiring Validity in October 2013. Currently mass-produced fingerprint recognition sensors are mainly scratch-type (sliding collection), and the experience is worse than push-type sensors. The scratch-type fingerprint recognition sensors on Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One Max and other mobile phones are provided by Synaptics.
The company’s advantages are mainly focused on touch and human-computer interaction. The layout of fingerprint recognition is still in the initial stage. In the future, the company’s goal is to integrate fingerprint recognition into mobile phone displays.
IDEX
The biggest advantage of a Norwegian company is fingerprint imaging technology. Currently, it has two types of fingerprint sensors: scratch type and push type, and is developing a hidden fingerprint sensor. The company is currently actively preparing to enter the mobile phone market.
Biosec (Biosec-Shanghai Tuzheng)
A domestic company, the company’s chairman Liu Jun began to engage in fingerprint algorithm research 18 years ago, and served as a military industrial enterprise in 2002 The fingerprint technology general consultant of Luoyang Kaimai founded Asia's first fingerprint payment operating company, Zhifutong, as the sole technical founder in 2006. Currently, ASSA ABLOY, the world's largest lock group, and AiPu, the world's largest safe giant, both exclusively use Belsec's fingerprint recognition modules and supporting solutions.
The biggest difference between Belsec and other companies engaged in fingerprint recognition is that they not only provide semiconductor fingerprint recognition sensors (both large and small), but also have their own fingerprint recognition algorithms and algorithm chips. The homogenization of key technologies has greatly improved product yields and made their products extremely cost-effective.
Minairi Micro
A domestic company that has been established for a relatively short time but has strong R&D and product capabilities. At present, the mobile phone market has begun to increase in volume, and it has a number of patented technologies in fingerprints.
Shenshield
Taiwan company focuses on capacitive fingerprint recognition sensor IC design, R&D, testing and sales business. It also has IC design technology and system design technology R&D teams, including Crystal Design capabilities of circular process and packaging technology. Samsung Note5 is equipped with Aegis’ fingerprint recognition solution.
Goodix Technology
A domestic company, an industry crossover player, is MediaTek’s strategic partner. The company's press-type sapphire fingerprint recognition solution is very similar to Touch ID. Last year, the company took the lead in releasing the hidden fingerprint recognition IFS, which places the fingerprint recognition module under the touch panel. It is expected that this solution will be welcomed by Android mobile phone manufacturers, because they will no longer need to make holes in the mobile phone (whether on the front or back), nor will they need to cultivate the usage habits of end users.
However, more than a year has passed since the release of IFS, and there is still no mobile phone using the IFS fingerprint recognition solution on the market. The recently released Le 1s mobile phone uses Goodix’s glass fingerprint sensor (placed on the back).
In the past year, Goodix has been involved in a patent dispute with Synaptics. The two parties have filed lawsuits against each other, and the final result still needs to be determined by the Patent Office.
Siliwei
A domestic company and industry crossover player, it was founded in October 2010 by the CEO and several senior technical and management personnel who returned from Silicon Valley. The company focuses on the R&D and sales of multi-point capacitive touch IC chips, as well as forward-looking research on multi-point suspension touch technology. A semiconductor fingerprint recognition sensor was launched in 2014, but there are still few terminal products equipped with this sensor on the market.
In addition, a number of companies such as BYD and Duntai also joined the competition.