2015: the year the fingerprint sensor stopped being a gimmick

Smartphone security no longer has to be a chore thanks to effective biometrics that do their jobs and get out of your way without compromising your data

Remember when your phone first had a camera? I was nice, sure, but it took rubbish photos and you rarely used it. Then it got a capacitive touchscreen, which was better than using stylus, even if you couldn't type as well as using a keyboard. Quickly both improved and became essentials.

Then came the fingerprint sensor, and you thought: really? Why? Putting in a pin isn't that painful, do I really need this? Yet now you don't even think about the fingerprint sensor, or all those seconds you've saved, because you use it all the time. 2015 was the year fingerprint scanners came of age.