A new facial recognition technology, Polar ID, is poised to bring Apple Face ID-level security to Android smartphones following a new manufacturing partnership.
Metalenz, the company behind Polar ID, has secured large-scale production through a collaboration with Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC).
UMC will produce the meta-optic layer for the system, utilizing its 40-nanometer process and chip-on-chip bonding technology on 300mm wafers, enabling high-volume output.
Industry rumors suggest Samsung may be the first major brand to integrate Polar ID. References to “Polar ID v1.0” have appeared in preliminary code associated with the future Galaxy S27 Ultra smartphone.
A leaker identified as “S” (@SPYGO19726) on the platform X revealed that development software for the upcoming Samsung device mentions a “polarized-light authentication system” within its biometric security framework.
Exclusive: Early test firmware for the Galaxy S27 Ultra references something called “Polar ID v1.0” under the biometric security framework. Internal logs describe it as a “polarized-light authentication system”
— S (@SPYGO19726) November 7, 2025
The leaker further indicated that Polar ID could offer facial unlocking in 180 milliseconds and enhance fraud detection capabilities.
Unlike traditional cameras, Polar ID uses meta-surface optics—extremely thin, flat lenses—combined with polarized light to analyze a user’s face.
These optics are integrated directly into image sensors and use advanced algorithms. The system extracts material and contour information from a single image through polarization-based detection, providing security suitable for payments.
Rob Devlin, CEO and co-founder of Metalenz, stated that by combining their meta-surface innovation with UMC’s production scale, Polar ID is “ready to meet the demands of high-volume consumer electronics and bring secure, accessible facial authentication to billions of devices.”
Devlin added that Metalenz’s first-generation technology is already “replacing lens arrays” in various detection solutions.
Metalenz expects Polar ID to be adopted across mobile platforms, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and other consumer electronics. The goal is to provide scalable, secure biometrics in the “smallest and simplest possible format.”