Selfie camera detects palm biometrics and gestures in the Realme GT5 Pro phone

The five-finger pinch and the horizontal swipe are among the contactless gestures that users can perform to control the new Realme phone, which improves on prior attempts to integrate hand ID technology into mobile devices by using its 32-megapixel selfie camera as a biometric palm print scanner.

Chinese manufacturer Realme claims the palm unlock function is faster than facial recognition and that it passed a penetration test involving over 10 million attacks. In a report for Engadget, Senior Reporter Richard Lai says the GT5 Pro’s palm detection technology likely works with an ultrasonic proximity sensor made by Elliptic Labs, which is found on many Android handsets.

A video review posted on Android Authority’s Youtube channel shows users interacting with the phone in several ways, including hand swipes, palm rotation and giving a thumbs-up. Showing the phone your index finger will toggle a cursor. Hovering triggers a click. Hand gestures can be used to take a screenshot, browse apps, or turn off the screen.

Despite all the fun one could have gesturing at the phone, fingerprint biometrics are still included as an option. Previous Realme models included FPC fingerprint sensors.

The GT5 Pro’s other hardware features include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED panel, USB-C 3.2, NFC, dual speakers and infrared remote. The main camera is 50 megapixels, with a Sony LYT-808 sensor; other cameras include the selfie cam with biometric palm sensor capability, and an ultra-wide cam. The phone is rated with IP64 for dust and liquid protection.

For now, the GT5 Pro is only available in China, where it costs between 3,298 and 4,198 yuan (roughly US$460-$590), depending on storage, memory, and design.

In 2019, LG debuted the G8 ThinQ, which used a time-of-flight camera and infrared sensors for 3D face and palm vein biometrics. The ThinQ smart home platform still exists, but LG officially stopped making phones in 2021.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  contactless biometrics  |  gesture recognition  |  palm biometrics  |  Realme  |  smartphones