MIUI source code for Mi 7 points towards in-display fingerprint sensor

There were a few rumours that the Mi Mix 2S, launched yesterday, would come with an in-display fingerprint technology. This obviously didn’t happen since Xiaomi’s new flagship comes with a rear fingerprint sensor.

But, it doesn’t mean that the company has completely sidelined the project. After the Mi Mix 2S speculations, Mi 7 seems to be next target. The launch of the flagship has already been delayed and rumours seem to indicate that this is due to Xiaomi trying to accommodate some new tech.

Research done by XDA Developers, through information given by @FunkyHuawei, shines some light on what the ‘new tech’ could potentially be. They basically discovered a bunch of MIUI code bases codenamed the ‘Dipper’ and ‘Dipper Old’. If you remember from earlier this month, the Dipper also appeared on Geekbench alongside the Berlin in another leak.

It’s been established the Dipper is the codename for the Mi 7, which is why the build.prop file combined with the various functions of Xiaomi’s MiuiKeyguard, the app responsible for the functioning of the lock screen, make an interesting case for in-display fingerprint technology on the device.

Both of them contain references to fingerprint sensors that have been sourced from Synaptics and Goodix with variables like ‘goodix_fod’, where the FOD likely translates into ‘fingerprint on display’.

In particular repository, the MiuiKeyguard code contains IF statements that percolate to check for a particular hardware vendor. This means that there a different kind of reading involved of the MiuiKeyguard aside from the usual pin/pattern/fingerprint. Adding the fact that there are accompanying variables such as the High Brightness Mode (HBM), coordinates that recognize when a circle is drawn and fingerprint icons on the screen to serve as visual guides for the users.

So basically, when you put all the clues together, it’s spells out an in-display fingerprint sensor for the Mi 7. But, there’s a catch. Another device, codenamed the ‘Ursa’ has a lot of similarities to the Dipper such as the Snapdragon 845 chipset, 4000mAh battery, optical zoom and the same Synaptics and Goodix sensors.

The Ursa might end up being a variant of the Mi 7 or another flagship device altogether. Thus, the question for whether the in-display fingerprint technology will be exclusive to Xiaomi’s Mi 7 is still unanswered.

It’s expected that the phone, while featuring premium hardware, will cost under Rs 35,000 when it launches in India.