Under-display 3D face biometrics reaches testing on Chinese smartphones: leaker

Apple users are accustomed to using the Face ID feature in their iPhones, but reports suggest a crop of Chinese smartphone makers could soon introduce 3D biometric authentication into Android devices.

Face ID made its debut back in November 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X. It saw Apple finally ditch Touch ID, move to a “bezel-less” design, an OLED screen, and the face biometric sensor that powers Face ID, which has a claim to being one of the world’s most ubiquitous biometric authentication systems.

Now, 3D face recognition is reportedly coming to more Android smartphones. According to tipster Digital Chat Station (via gsmarena), we could soon get the first crop of Android devices with the “invisible” under-display selfie cameras for on-device biometric authentication.

Chinese brand Honor is one of the few to include 3D face recognition with the Magic7 Pro the latest example. The ZTE nubia line-up meanwhile – such as the Z70S Ultra – sports the under-display (UD) selfie cameras. But what we rarely see on the Android side is the combination of 3D face biometrics and a UD camera.

The reliable industry source says, however, that Chinese smartphone companies are lab-testing UD 3D face recognition currently. The source hasn’t named brands or suppliers but the tipster has been right before, about other biometrics developments such as ultrasonic fingerprint sensors coming to new models.

Chinese consumers have expressed some scepticism, with some believing the face system is not as convenient or as responsive as ultrasonic fingerprint biometrics. This advanced biometric sensor is reportedly coming to the upcoming Google Pixel 9, which is expected to feature the 3D Sonic Gen 2 ultrasonic fingerprint sensor from Qualcomm.

The technology is the same as that in the Samsung Galaxy S24, with the move representing a shift away from optical scanners, which rely on flashing bright light onto the fingerprint and can be more prone to performance reductions from moisture and dirt. Even though the biometric system’s performance relies on more factors than a single sensor, the upgrade is expected to result in a better user experience. The 3D Sonic Gen 2 fingerprint sensor utilizes ultrasonic pulses to map the ridges and valleys of a user’s fingerprint. By analyzing the reflections of these sound waves, the sensor creates a highly detailed 64mm2 reproduction of the scanned fingerprint.

As for Apple, it’s rumoured the next iPhone could be getting a Face ID upgrade. A Techradar article reported the Cupertino company has been granted a patent for a new technology that might allow in-display Face ID. This means the iPhone 17 could be all screen without the little cut-out at the top which houses the Face ID sensor and selfie camera.

The patent details how to get infrared light to pass through the glass of a phone screen. Face ID uses infrared light to scan and verify your face. Apple’s patent describes a method for cutting away only the affected subpixels — the individual red, green, or blue light emitters that, when blended, create millions of colors at a typical viewing distance. According to the filing, removing these targeted subpixels won’t visibly alter the image, since each excised segment will sit alongside neighboring emitters of the same hue.

The document also proposes removing tiny patches of the touch‐sensitive mesh to improve infrared passthrough. Those microscopic gaps would be too small to have any impact on touch responsiveness. While there is no guarantee that the technology will be included in the next iPhone, the patent hints at possible future configurations. A UD selfie camera features in Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 so it’s already established as a feature even if deployment is not exactly the same as that described in Apple’s patent.

Alternatively, the iPhone 17 could feature a smaller dynamic island made with metalens technology.

Article Topics

3D face recognition  |  Android  |  Apple  |  face biometrics  |  mobile biometrics  |  Qualcomm  |  smartphones  |  under display