Android phones could get this impressive under-display face unlock tech pretty soon

Source: 9to5Google

Right as it’s been revealed that Google’s upcoming Pixel 11 probably won’t have new face unlock hardware, a new name is showing off some impressive under‑display face unlock tech that could start appearing in Android devices as soon as next year.

Polar ID

In a report from Wired, a company called Metalenz is revealing its new “Polar ID” system that effectively makes iPhone‑style face unlock hardware invisible by hiding most of the hardware underneath an OLED display.

The technology uses a flat lens system that occupies only a fraction of the space of existing face‑unlock setups found in the iPhone and some other devices. It relies on optical metasurfaces—a single lens with nanostructures that bend light toward the sensors used for face unlock. Metalenz has extended this approach to capture polarization data, which can differentiate how light reflects off a real human face versus a silicon 3D mask. Combined, these elements form the foundation of Polar ID, which works much like Apple’s Face ID but without a large cutout in the display.

Metalenz struck a deal with Qualcomm over this tech a few years ago and now it’s ready to hit the market.

“Polar ID” is slated to start appearing in smartphones and laptops in 2027, with under‑display implementations “likely” debuting in 2028. Unlike Google’s existing camera‑based face unlock on Pixels, this system works in the dark. The under‑display hardware isn’t fundamentally different from under‑display cameras, but the polarization data remains reliable despite the loss in image quality that affected under‑display selfie cameras on devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series. In a demo, the data collection difference when the Polar ID hardware is hidden under an OLED display is minimal.

The only modification required in the actual display is a “thinned‑out” section.

Google has reportedly been working on under‑display face unlock tech for a while, with Project Toscana originally expected to launch in the Pixel 11 later this year. However, a recent report revealed that the Pixel 11 series will not have this hardware ready this year. It’s unclear whether Google’s effort is related to Metalenz, but it was previously mentioned that Google was using IR hardware in some capacity.

Whatever happens with Google’s tech in future Pixels, it’s exciting to see an alternative that could appear on other Android phones.