#MWC: This phone by LG will identify you with veins
LG has kicked-off Mobile World Congress with a bunch of fancy phones. The company unveiled its first 5G device, V50, as well as its answer to Galaxy S10: the LG G8 ThinQ. Now, this device has got all the tidbits you would expect from a 2019 flagship, but most importantly, it has got a new authentication tech called Hand ID. Here's how it works.
So, what is Hand ID?
Hand ID can be described as LG's way of pushing the boundaries of biometric authentication. It is hand equivalent of Face ID, where instead of your face or fingerprint, the phone's IR-sensor-equipped front camera, which LG calls Z camera on G8, scans the veins in your hand. So, basically, your phone will identify you with the veins in your hand.
How the Hand ID system works
When you register your hand with Hand ID and hover your palm in front of the Z camera, the device will use hemoglobin's infrared absorption characteristics to map the veins. As veins are unique to every user, it will assess their shape, thickness, and other characteristics and compare them with those of the registered hand. If a match is found, the device will unlock.
LG claims it is first to offer this tech
At G8's launch, LG touted "advanced palm vein authentication" as the unique selling point of the device, claiming it is the first phone in the world to offer this capability. It also noted that the system isn't affected by lighting conditions, meaning it can detect your veins in all environments, including low-light situations or bright outdoors.
Notably, G8's Z camera also supports 3D facial recognition
Along with vein recognition, the Z camera (bundled with a second 8MP selfie-camera) of G8 ThinQ also comes with 3D mapping and motion-capture capabilities. The former would allow you to unlock the phone with 3D facial recognition, while the latter will enable hands-free gestures to control features like the ability to answer/make calls, take photos, control volume, and switch between apps.
What else you get on the new G8 ThinQ
Along with these features, LG G8 ThinQ packs a 6.1-inch QHD+ (1440x3120 pixels) OLED FullVision display, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 SoC and 6GB of RAM. The device would come with at least a standard 12MP and 16MP ultra-wide camera; there will also be an additional 12MP telephoto camera in some markets. The battery on G8 ThinQ will have a capacity of 3,550mAh.
LG also announced LG G8s ThinQ
Along with this, LG also announced G8s ThinQ a toned down version of G8. This device will have a 6.2 inch full-HD+ AMOLED display and a triple camera system (12MP+13MP+12MP).
