LG G8 ThinQ - Is Your Phone Protected From Unauthorized Access

We hold a lot of information in the palm of hands and should we lose this information or if it is accessed by someone other than yourself then our security is at risk. Mobile phones have always been a easy source for tampering and stealing data due to the limited security options users have available to them. Securing these devices in the beginning simply only had a password either numerical or alphanumeric. Next came patterns recognition, drawing a pattern to unlock the phone. Then came Fingerprint sensors and facial recognition. Though while the biometrics for the fingerprint scanning have greatly improved the facial recognition had limitations.

In the beginning facial recognition was based on the front facing camera capturing a 2D image and then utilizing algorithms to analyze the capture for distinct markers to match on. Simple in nature and not very intuitive. Next came utilizing infrared lights for scanning details of face, mapping each contour and then the device has to remember these specific points to find a match. Unlike other mobile devices which require both an IR sensor and IR laser, LG has incorporated a chip that only has 2 components an imager and one single flash illumination component, without the need of any mechanical baseline. This technology was jointly developed by Infineon and pmdtechnologies AG.

*images utilized from infineon.com

The REAL3™ image sensor chip was designed to measure the depth and amplitude information in every pixel by using one infrared flash light source. The light emitted covers the whole object and the reflected light is captured. The measured phase difference between the sent and received light as well as the amplitude values result in a picture of the complete object. The current sensor can handle 38,000 pixels (224 x 172 pixel). What makes this sensor stand out from others is its ability to outperform in multiple light conditions from bright sunny days to dark gloomy nights. The Time-of-Flight technology benefit is a better-quality capture with more detail with less processing needed providing a more real-time response.

*images utilized from infineon.com

Not only does the sensor generate better image faster which can be used with the face unlock feature the Time-of-Flight sensor can capture the unique vein patterns in hands. This allows the user's hand to now become a NEW method to unlock a mobile device. Since the REAL3™ image sensor is so detailed it makes it harder for hackers to mimic a user's physical attributes. In a world where security is becoming increasingly concerned this added benefit only helps users. But let's not forget about "Elephant int he Room" this Time-of-Flight sensor has also been given a stigma of a bad rap due to the additional features LG has enabled. Since the Time-of-Flight sensor is so accurate with its real-time response an old but not forgotten method has been brought back to life. "Air Motion", is LG way to add flavor and show off the sensors abilities. They provided the ability for users to interact with the phone utilizing hand gestures. I'm not diving into this feature but wanted to point out the abilities of the sensor stretch beyond simple capture and responses.

Currently, besides LG standard locking features there are now three biometric options Fingerprints, Face Unlock, and Hand ID. The last 2 now encompass the new The REAL3™ image sensor. To enable these features, navigate under general settings - Locks screen & security section - Biometrics. Here you can setup your fingerprints, Face and Hand ID. Simply follow the prompts to enable to security option and take initial captures. Then navigate in the same section to Lock Screen - Select screen lock and enable which biometric feature you want to use. I've tested all 3 and they work very well. Both the fingerprint and face unlock worked the fastest roughly 1 sec. The hand ID once the screen was on after using knock sensor it recognized and opened in about 2-3 seconds depending on your hands distance to the sensor.



With the LG G8 I wanted to present users with the multitude of options available to secure your phone. I hope this article will give you some insights to the technology being used to give you a little piece of mind. The REAL3™ image sensor or Time-of-Flight abilities give users a more accurate and faster way to secure your LG G8 device.

Enjoy and remember never use your phone or tablet while driving, be safe and healthy.

Check out some of my other blogs on the LG G8 ThinQ:

LG-G8-ThinQ-Better-Performer-than-other-leading-devices

LG-G8-ThinQ-The-First-Mobile-Display-WITHOUT-a-speaker

LG-G8-ThinQ-What-does-the-Camera-Mean-to-Me

Disclaimer:

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee