MetaOptics brings contactless 3D fingerprint authentication to customer evaluation

MetaOptics has taken a step forward in commercializing its contactless fingerprint authentication technology. The company has begun sending evaluation kits of its metalens-integrated 5G smartphone and AI smart glasses to select customers in Europe, Japan, and the Philippines. The aim is to provide consumer electronics brands, telecom operators, and ODMs a chance to test the biometric technology in their own development environments.

The MetaOptics 5G smartphone features a non-contact metalens 3D biometric fingerprint module that detects high-resolution fingerprint data through the display for touch-free authentication. In addition, the AI smart glasses demonstrate the wide range of use cases for metalens in wearable form factors.

These evaluation units are built upon several corporate and research and development milestones for MetaOptics. The company announced ahead of CES 2025 that it would showcase a non-contact 3D biometric sensor there. Then it showcased a broader metalens-powered lineup at CES 2026, including the metalens smartphone with the non-contact fingerprint module. The 12MP color metalens camera is planned for CES 2027.

“The response to our metalens-powered devices at CES 2026 was exceptional, and we are now putting evaluation units directly into the hands of demanding customers in the world’s most discerning electronics markets,” says Thng Chong Kim, executive chairman at MetaOptics.

A new path for mobile fingerprint authentication

Mobile fingerprint authentication has always forced hardware manufacturers and identity providers to work with certain tradeoffs. Conventional optical under-display sensors are fast and cost-effective. But because they capture two-dimensional images, they depend on software-based presentation attack detection and can be affected by ambient light interference or physical obstructions like screen protectors.

Ultrasonic sensors, on the other hand, provide secure 3D topological mapping by using sound waves to penetrate the display. But they have historically involved cost, integration, and sensing-area tradeoffs. Though it is important to note that newer generations have expanded sensing area and improved performance.

Meanwhile, the push for contactless fingerprint has largely remained in two extremes. Larger, high-throughput enterprise hardware terminals (such as the Idemia MorphoWave), which capture multiple fingers in 3D but are not designed for smartphone integration. Software-based mobile solutions (such as those developed by Tech5 and Identy.io), which use standard smartphone cameras and AI to extract fingerprint data.

MetaOptics introduces a third option, which is a hardware-based approach to touchless mobile biometrics embedded under the display. By using an active optical architecture driven by liquid crystal tuning, the MetaOptics module captures high-resolution 3D data optically through the display without requiring user contact.

This technology is also positioned for higher-assurance use cases such as mobile payments if it demonstrates accuracy, presentation attack detection (PAD) performance, and certification. Furthermore, because metalenses are fabricated using standard semiconductor foundry processes on 12-inch wafers, the long-term unit economics could theoretically scale to match legacy optical modules.

The biometrics industry must analyze the implications of this technology on the broader mobile authentication landscape, particularly around PAD, interoperability standards for legacy databases, and the economics of semiconductor-scale glass wafer manufacturing.

The most immediate potential use cases for this technology is frictionless smartphone unlocking and the execution of high-value mobile payments. But beyond individual mobile phones, the technology has substantial implications for enterprise access and shared hardware environments.

While macroscopic systems like Idemia’s MorphoWave are increasingly deployed in high-throughput physical access control markets, their physical footprint and cost restrict them to corporate lobbies, airports, and major security gates. But the extreme miniaturization of a 5mm contactless metalens module will allow hardware manufacturers to embed 3D touchless authentication directly into point-of-sale (PoS) terminals, ATMs, and automotive exterior doors.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  contactless biometrics  |  fingerprint sensors  |  metalens  |  MetaOptics  |  presentation attack detection