From the Infinix Note 3, the Hot 4 and Hot S devices are the latest smartphones from Infinix Mobility to come with a fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint scanner has other functions apart from the usual function that comes to mind, unlocking.
The fingerprint scanner on the Hot S and Note 3 is located at the back centre below the LED flash lights. This makes the first finger of either hand the best to use. This is different from other devices in the market like Samsung and Apple who have their fingerprint scanners on the Home button.
The Huawei GR5 and GR5 mini have their fingerprint scanner on the same location as the Infini devices.
Construction
The Infinix Hot S has a circular finger print scanner while the Note 3 has a Square shape with rounded corners. The fingerprint scanner seems to be made up of the material the backcover butbits actually made of plastic. The metallic feel of the Hot S and Note 3 back does not correspond to the smoother feel of the scanner.
Functions
The Infinix Fingerprint scanner does more than unlock the device. It can
- Take photos
- Answer a call and
- Browse pictures in full mode.
Taking selfies is made very easy with the fingerprint scanner. This gets rid of shaky selfies where you have to hold the phone and touch the screen to take a photo. Even the 6 Inch screen Infinix Note 3 can produce very great selfies with the phone firmly gripped in one hand.
Scanning
Like I said earlier the ergonomics of the Fingerprint scanner allows for the first finger to be the best to use. The middle finger is also comfortable because its taller but it throws the whole balance on one hand off.
Scanning requires placing the finger print side of your finger on the scanner and lifting it up a couple of times until the scan is complete.
Scanning starts from the fingerprint icon on the home screen. From here you go to fingerprint management
If accepting calls can be done using the scanner, it would be expected from a tech point of view that the normal accept call feature would be disabled. The same goes for those private Whatsapp photos we all have. One minute you give your phone to someone to show them a funny Whatsapp photo and the next thing you know is that they are scrolling through your private collection. If there was a setting where that scenario were to be switched off and photos scrolled with the finger print scanner that would be awesome.
Unwanted Finger Print Scans
The Infinix fingerprint scanners also suffer from unwanted fingerprint scans whereby if you accidentally touch the sensor, the screen turns on automatically and it alerts you with a slight vibration with the screen showing Fingerprint Mismatch. This happens to me when I want to get something from my pocket apart from the phone. When I feel that vibration I know I have to take out the phone to shut the screen off. But sometimes I let the Anti inadvertently mode take care of that by shutting the screen off.
However the sensor is made in such a way that it responds to the skin and so placing the Hot S or Note 3 on a table or any other surface will not trigger the sensor.