News

LG’s new phone reads your palm to unlock

The new G8 ThinQ can also be controlled using hand gestures made in the air in front of the phone’s camera.
The new G8 ThinQ can also be controlled using hand gestures made in the air in front of the phone’s camera. The new G8 ThinQ can also be controlled using hand gestures made in the air in front of the phone’s camera.

LG’s new G8 ThinQ can be unlocked by reading the palm of the user, offering a new type of biometric security.

Unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, the G8 houses LG’s unique Z Camera that reads the veins in a user’s hand to recognise them and unlock the device.

The feature is part of a wider range of gesture-based controls on the G8 which mean it can be navigated without being touched – instead, users make motions in front of the camera to move between screens.

The device, which has a 6.2-inch OLED screen and a triple rear camera system, was unveiled alongside LG’s first 5G phone, the V50 ThinQ.

(Martyn Landi/PA)
(Martyn Landi/PA) (Martyn Landi/PA)

The Korean tech firm also introduced its own unique take on foldable smartphones with the V50 – an optional cover case which houses a second screen that when opened can be used either independently or in tandem with the phone’s main display.

It follows high profile announcements in recent days from both Samsung and Huawei of their first flexible, foldable smartphones.