Update on 14 November: OnePlus has fixed the issue in the latest OxygenOS 9.2.5 update and now the under display fingerprint scanner works perfectly fine regardless of the wallpaper you’re using on the phone.
Original content follows below.
OnePlus has finally unveiled the OnePlus 6T, the latest flagship smartphone from the company, which features a bigger display with a waterdrop shaped notch, a larger 3,700mAh battery, and most importantly, an under-display fingerprint scanner, which we can finally talk about.
Much like everything coming out of OnePlus’ stable, the under-display fingerprint scanner or Screen Unlock on the OnePlus 6T is fast. How fast you ask? Almost as fast as the capacitive fingerprint scanner on the older OnePlus 6.
Screen Unlock is Fast!
OnePlus claims that Screen Unlock on the OnePlus 6T is capable of unlocking the device in just 0.34 seconds, compared to the OnePlus 6’s 0.2 second record.
For a more fair comparison, I also compared it to the in-display fingerprint scanner on the Vivo V11 Pro. In terms of hardware, both feature the same 4th gen in-display fingerprint scanner from Synaptics, but Screen Unlock on the OnePlus 6T feels much faster, but that’s probably because of the way OnePlus tunes its software.
But There’s a Major Problem
I’ve been using the device over the last week and except for one (major) issue, I haven’t faced any problem with the in-display fingerprint scanner on the device yet. OnePlus seems to have forgotten one crucial factor while optimizing the fingerprint scanner and that might very well cause the downfall of the OnePlus 6T, unless OnePlus addresses the issue with a prompt software update.
The issue in question has a significant impact on the unlocking speed of Screen Unlock. The OnePlus 6T’s in-display fingerprint scanner has a tendency to slow down quite drastically if you put your own wallpaper for the homescreen. When you replace the stock wallpapers that ship with the device, the fingerprint sensor is a lot slower to unlock.
I stumbled across it in my time with the device when I changed the wallpaper for the first time. At first, I thought that the in-display fingerprint scanner had gradually slowed down after a couple of days of use, but while tinkering with the device to identify the cause of the issue I realized that it was because I wasn’t using a stock wallpaper.
Changing the wallpaper back to one of the included stock wallpapers instantly resolved the issue, so I thought it might have had something to do with the bright colors used for the wallpaper, which might be hampering the reading accuracy of the optical fingerprint scanner. I also tested out the issue by changing between several different wallpapers, using different wallpapers for the home and lock screen, using a stock wallpaper on the lock screen while using a different one for the home screen, and vice versa. Alas, the issue persisted.
Software Issue?
We’ve reached out to OnePlus to know more about the issue, but we haven’t heard anything from the company yet. So unless OnePlus manages to fix this issue and roll it out as soon as possible, it might have a significant effect on the user experience delivered by the OnePlus 6T.
And since this issue will affect a vast majority of OnePlus 6T users (assuming that most users customize their smartphone’s wallpaper), it should be at the top of the company’s to-do list. So, if you’ve been planning on buying the OnePlus 6T, it would be best that you wait a while for the company to address this issue or you could just stick to using the stock wallpapers if it isn’t a big deal for you.
Until then, share your views on the issue with us in the comments section below and do let us know if this issue might be a deal breaker for you.
