LG G6 tipped to borrow Note 7’s iris scanner – with a twist
The LG G6 could borrow one of the Galaxy Note 7’s biggest features, according to a new report.
South Korean media are suggesting that local tech giant LG is going to embed an iris scanner into its next flagship smartphone. According to the Digital Bakjeongil Times, an LG Innotek official said the company is “planning an integrated iris recognition module mounted on smartphones”. Unfortunately, the publication doesn’t name its source, which means we can’t verify the information.
But it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see LG introducing iris scanners on its smartphones; Samsung already made the leap with its ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, to relative success (if you don’t count the unrelated recall, anyway). It’s also worth noting that earlier this year, LG Electronics signed an agreement with South Korea’s KB Bookman Bank to help develop a mobile payment service – an iris scanner could be very useful for authentication on such a platform.
Interestingly, the new report from DBT suggests that LG won’t use the same type of iris scanner module that Samsung did with the Note 7. With Samsung’s version, the iris scanner was on the front of the phone, and was entirely separate to the handset’s front-facing camera. But LG is reportedly planning to embed the iris scanner in the camera module, and use a filter to separate the functions, allegedly in a bid to save space.
LG is expected to launch its next flagship handset, likely to be called the LG G6, in the first quarter of 2017. Most rumours point to LG utilising Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress tradeshow at the end of February as a potential launchpad. Leaks about the phone so far have suggested confusion on the part of LG, with several reports suggesting the company has backtracked on early goals of implementing a major all-metal design overhaul and a curved display. However, we can’t say anything for certain until the phone actually launches, especially since the release is potentially months away.
An LG spokesperson told TrustedReviews: “LG does not comment on online rumours or speculation.”
Related: Samsung Galaxy S8
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