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Inside the RealScan SG10

For more than a decade, the RealScan-G10 was an icon in biometric identification, trusted, precise, and the best in its class. At Xperix, the challenge was not to replace that legacy, but to surpass it.

The result is RealScan SG10, a deliberate rethink of what an optical fingerprint scanner should look like and how it should perform in today’s identity environments. Faster. Smaller. More versatile.

Behind that transformation are countless design decisions, optical refinements, and engineering breakthroughs. Ryan Park and Lee Sang-min, two of the key engineers who helped redefine the benchmark, had the following to say about how the SG10 came to life.

“From the outset, the goal was clear: outperform the RealScan-G10 in every meaningful way. Doing so meant confronting a long-standing technical challenge in optical fingerprint scanners; the prism.

“Lower prism heights enable slimmer designs, but they also introduce image distortion, often requiring complex lens systems to compensate. Those systems, in turn, increase the size and complexity of the hardware. It is a trade-off the industry has lived with for years.

“Drawing on expertise gained while developing the BioMini Slim series, the team perfected a new prism design paired with advanced image distortion processing. The result was a scanner that could be both compact and uncompromising in image quality, without the bulky optical corrections that traditionally came with such designs.”

At the same time, the team set out to modernise the platform itself. Features like USB-C connectivity, USB 3.2 technology, and true Plug & Play functionality were no longer optional; they were essential.

A new optical system, built for speed

At the heart of the RealScan SG10 is an entirely new optical system. Designed from the ground up to support a more compact, modern form factor while maintaining performance, but performance is not just about optics. The SG10 was optimised for speed at every stage, from capture to processing. The result is faster fingerprint acquisition and near-instant response for operators.

Border control checkpoints, national ID programs, mobile enrolment units, and large-scale identity projects all demand reliability under pressure. The SG10 was built with those realities in mind.

Why USB-C and USB 3.2 matter

Connectivity may seem like a small detail, but in biometric systems, it can make or break the user experience. The RealScan SG10’s adoption of USB-C and USB 3.2 dramatically increases data transfer speeds, an essential requirement for high-resolution biometric capture.

The scanner is also USB-IF certified and consumes less than 2,5 mA when a connected PC is in sleep mode. This low power consumption is especially critical for mobile enrolment kits, where battery life is a limiting factor. Then there is Plug & Play. On Windows, no driver installation is required. Connect the SG10 to a PC, and it works immediately, removing friction for operators and system integrators alike.

The SG10 is not just visually refined, it’s structurally optimised. By rethinking the bulky architecture of the RealScan-G10, the team achieved a minimalistic, sophisticated design that also happens to be the world’s lowest optical fingerprint scanner. That low profile is not just aesthetic. It allows the SG10 to integrate more easily with other hardware systems, expanding its flexibility across deployment scenarios.

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