LG G7 Might Come With An Advanced Iris Scanner In Front-Facing Camera

The LG G6 and the LG V30 both feature basic facial recognition technology that allows users to unlock their phone. For the LG G7, it looks like the South Korean company is planning to add a more advanced unlocking method with a new iris scanner.

LG's patent for its new iris scanner was first discovered by Dutch website LetsGoDigital. According to the site, this iris scanner will function similarly to the ones found on Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S8+ and the Note 8. Although LG’s iris scanner is very similar to Samsung, the company is planning to add extra layers of security to its own version.

One of the possible security features that LG could implement with its iris scanner is having the user trace a series of dots displayed on the screen with their eyes. This allows the iris scanner to know if it’s looking at a static image, according to Phone Arena. If this feature is implemented perfectly, LG’s iris scanner won’t easily be fooled with high resolution photos.

LG’s iris scanner will also be able to work in different lighting conditions. The sensor on the iris scanner will allegedly be able to adjust its reading based on ambient light so that it can recognize the user’s eyes even with different pupil sizes. The scanner will also utilize infrared light, much like on Samsung’s flagship Galaxy smartphones.

So how exactly will LG put the iris scanner on the LG G7? It’s being speculated that LG might use its all-in-one camera module that it first unveiled at the Korea Electronics Show last year. LG’s all-in-one camera can switch from being a regular front-facing camera to an infrared light, and vice versa.

If LG is able to use this type of camera for its iris scanner, the company could effectively cut down on costs. This also means that the LG G7 won’t need too much space on the top bezel since the iris scanner will only require a single camera module and a display notch, like the one on the Apple iPhone X, won’t be needed.

An integrated iris scanner is something that has been long rumored since before the LG G5. With this recently discovered patent, it looks like LG is indeed planning to use it on its smartphones in 2018. The patent was filed in mid-2017 and the World Intellectual Property Organization has already granted it to LG.

The LG G7 is currently the top candidate to have this new iris scanner and it might make its first appearance during the first quarter of 2018. The LG G6 was revealed in February 2017 during the Mobile World Congress, so it’s possible the G7 would follow the same timeline. However, the LG G7 is also rumored to appear earlier on January during CES 2018, as pointed out by Tech Radar. As for specs, the LG G7 is also rumored to ditch the LCD panel and use an OLED display like the V30. It’s also likely that the G7 may be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which was just unveiled this week.