ZTE showcases under-display facial recognition system

Beijing: Chinese tech major ZTE has showcased its under-display 3D structured light system to support Face ID-style facial recognition at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2021.

According to an Engadget report, the company, which was the first manufacturer to include an under-display selfie camera in a mass-produced smartphone, may have found a balance between allowing enough data to pass through the display to make the system work and ensuring the screen still looks good when the camera isn’t being used.

ZTE is compensating for light transmission loss through the screen by cranking up the pixel density of the projector (which creates a 3D map of your face) by over ten times, the report said.

To help make that region of the screen look more consistent with the rest of the display, it improved the pixel density of the area above the camera from 200ppi to 400ppi. It also boosted the panel refresh rate to 120Hz.

ZTE collaborated with Shenzhen-based Guangjian Technology for the technology.

The company claims that the system is secure enough for mobile payment authentication. It will also support 3D modelling, augmented reality selfies and other features, the report said.

The company didn’t say when it will start using the tech or in which devices, but rumours suggest it will plug the system into the upcoming Axon 30 Pro, it added.