LG G6 could get 3D facial recognition functionality in June

LG could be priming 3D face-scanning technology for its latest flagship, the LG G6. According to Korean news site The Investor, LG has secured a deal with facial recognition software firm Oez to implement its technology into the LG G6 as early as June.

This is said to arrive in time for the launch of LG’s new mobile payments service in South Korea, where the OezFR software would be used to support a facial recognition verification option. This would be the first time facial recognition is used for contactless payments in the smartphone sector.

According to The Investor, LG Electronics partnered with Oez because its platform could easily be integrated into the LG V20 and LG G5 also. Further, it’s said to take up little space on the handsets, between 3.5 and 5 MB, and come with “security measures to prevent hacking attempts with pictures.”

This is an exciting prospect for mobile payments but the timelines seem short — integrating a new, highly secure, and essentially unproven payment verification function into their new flagship within the next six weeks or so sounds like a big ask. There are concerns with facial recognition just to unlock a phone, never mind complete financial transactions.

Of course, I don’t know how much previously planning or groundwork has already been done, and the OezFR software sounds like it’s already a full, ready-to-integrate solution. I guess it would have to be.

This is still just speculation for the moment as we don’t have any official comment from LG. We’ll let you know when we learn more.

What are your thoughts on the prospects of 3D face scanning for secure payments? Is the tech ready? Let us know in the comments.