Exclusive: Metalenz Has Figured Out a Way to Make Face ID Invisible

The notch, that unsightly cut-in that once marred the design of many smartphones, including the iPhone X and LG G7, has largely become a thing of the past. Replaced by sleeker, floating punch-hole cameras, today's smartphones have moved on from this aesthetic faux pas. Notches still linger on some laptops, like Apple's MacBooks, but on iPhones, the notch has evolved into a floating pill-shaped camera system dubbed the Dynamic Island, which debuted on the iPhone 14.

However, the iPhone still boasts the largest camera cutout on the market, largely due to its Face ID biometric authentication system. This is because, unlike the vast majority of Android phones, iPhones require a secure face authentication system that can't be easily replicated with a smaller camera cutout. That could all change, thanks to Metalenz, a Boston-based optics startup that's developed an under-display camera technology that could shrink the camera cutout significantly.

Metalenz's innovation lies in its optical metasurfaces technology, a flat-lens system that uses a fraction of the space required by traditional multi-lens elements found in most smartphones. By harnessing nanostructures to bend light rays toward the sensors, rather than relying on multiple plastic or glass lens elements, Metalenz's technology promises to revolutionize the way cameras are designed. This tech has already seen widespread adoption, with over 300 million metasurfaces used in consumer devices today, replacing bulky traditional optics in time-of-flight sensors.

The company has also pioneered a method to capture polarization data using these metasurfaces. By analyzing the unique polarization signature created when light hits an object, Metalenz's sensors can quickly identify specific materials. This capability has led to the development of Polar ID, a facial authentication platform designed to rival Apple's Face ID.

Polar ID's sensors can distinguish a real face from a 3D mask, thanks to the unique polarization information from light bouncing off human skin. According to Metalenz, Polar ID is even more secure than Google's face unlock system on Pixels, which can be spoofed with a high-quality 3D mask. As Metalenz continues to push the boundaries of what's possible with under-display camera technology, we may soon see a future where facial authentication systems like Face ID are not only more secure but also virtually invisible.