“By sticking In-display fingerprint sensors and cameras behind the screen, manufacturers increase the amount of real estate available on its face.”

A new report from ABI Research suggests that smartphones manufacturers looking to maximize screen size should be investing in biometric tech rather than flexible or foldable screens. The report arrives as those same manufacturers remain locked in a screen size arms race despite the lukewarm response to the recently released Galaxy Fold.

The crux of ABI’s argument is that in-display biometric tech can increase screen size just as effectively as a foldable screen. By sticking In-display fingerprint sensors and cameras behind the screen, manufacturers increase the amount of real estate available on its face.

“Many of these technologies allow vendors to develop smartphones with larger overall screen sizes by reducing the need for sensors, buttons, and other features on the front screen,” said ABI Research Analyst Stephanie Tomsett. “They allow devices to have minimal bezels, thereby creating a relatively smaller form factor for an increase in display size.”

The report goes on to predict that camera-based recognition and in-display fingerprint sensors will be the most popular biometric features for the next few years, with 487 million and 228 million respective shipments by 2023. Those numbers indicate that ABI has modified its thinking since it posited that in-display fingerprint sensors were ascendant in a similar report last April, with key players like Apple continuing to push facial recognition tech. 

ABI notes that other form factor changes like the positioning of the speakers could yield similar results for manufacturers. It also points out that companies like Apple, LG, and Samsung all have a number of relevant patents, but it’s still to early to predict which ideas will eventually prove to be cost effective and win out with consumers.