Galaxy S27 Ultra could bring a more secure face unlock mechanism

Nearly a decade ago, Samsung introduced iris scanning with the Galaxy S8 series as a secure device unlocking method. However, the feature was dropped just two years later as the company moved toward a bezel-less design with the Galaxy S10 series. Now, Samsung may be preparing to reintroduce a secondary secure unlocking option with the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

According to tipster @phonefuturist, Samsung is working on implementing a new feature called Polar ID in the Galaxy S27 Ultra. The technology is developed by Metalenz, a company known for its meta-optic solutions that can extract additional data from a single image. This includes facial contour information and human tissue liveness, both of which are critical for secure biometric authentication.

The Polar ID system uses a flood illuminator along with Samsung’s ISOCELL Vizion 931 sensor as its light engine. The system is capable of detecting even highly sophisticated 3D masks and spoofing tools, making it extremely secure. It works in all lighting conditions and doesn't need a screen flash to work in low-light conditions. In some scenarios, it could even outperform Apple’s Face ID in terms of security.

Another key advantage is its compact design. Compared to Face ID on iPhones and iPads, Polar ID requires significantly less space, including under the display. As a result, the front-facing camera cutout would not need to be larger than the standard punch-hole design already used on Galaxy phones.

If reports about the Galaxy S27 Ultra featuring Polar ID are accurate, it would bring a major upgrade. Users would be able to choose between a fingerprint reader and 3D face unlock based on their situation and preference. For example, face unlock could be used when fingers are wet or dirty, offering greater flexibility without compromising security.

You should take this information with a pinch of salt, though, as several rumors like this turn out to be false information. Things can only get clear once Samsung actually announces such a feature early next year during the launch of the Galaxy S27 series.