

Quick Summary
Samsung is expected to bring Polar ID, a very impressive new facial recognition system, to the Samsung Galaxy Ultra. But leakers can't agree on the timescale and it might not appear in the Ultra until 2026.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has only been out for a few months, but the rumour factory never sleeps – and it's already making predictions about the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, due in 2026.
The predictions centre on Polar ID, a new take on facial recognition and unlocking. But leakers are disagreeing on when it's coming. One leaker, Haizaki Ryouhei, says it's coming in next year's Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. But another, Sawyer Galox, says Samsung is planning to wait until the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Galox has leaked information in the past that's proved to be accurate, and seems pretty certain about this one.
One thing the leakers can agree on, though, is that PolarID tech is solid and could be even better than Apple's Face ID.
How Samsung plans to get in your face
Polar ID uses the same punch-hole design as the current Galaxy S24 Ultra, but requires a different sensor: Samsung's ISOCELL Vizion 931, which then hands over to the Qualcomm Snapdragon for processing. That sensor has reportedly been tested successfully and, according to Ryouhei, the tech is "more secure than FaceID" and will "work even better than other facial recognition technology". However, it's possible that the poster is simply regurgitating some of the press coverage around Polar ID's announcement earlier this year, which predicted that the tech could potentially appear in Android phones as soon as 2025.
Galox disagrees with the timeline: "It is impossible for this technology to be used" in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, they say; Samsung is taking it slow because while it wants to compete with Apple, it doesn't want to spend huge sums of money to do so.
Polar ID isn't a Samsung technology; it's from Samsung and Qualcomm's collaboration with a firm called Metalenz, which uses Samsung's sensors in its facial recognition products. It favours the 931 because it's the "world’s only consumer-grade imaging system that can sense the full polarization state of light", enabling it to work from a single image instead of needing multiple ones, and the firm says that Polar ID is 50% more cost-effective and requires considerably less space than rival facial recognition systems.
It's not just for phones: Polar ID has been designed to work in AR/VR headsets, tablets and laptops too. While Samsung is likely to be the first firm to use Polar ID, other Android firms are likely to follow suit.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Instagram Edits is now available for iOS and Android, free and can do cool stuff – but what is it?
Here's everything you need to know about Instagram Edits and how to sign up
By Britta O'Boyle
-
Apple Vision Pro just got serious competition from micro-OLED headsets with better specs
Apple's stunning displays just got bettered by two companies you've probably never heard of
By Carrie Marshall
-
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE still on for this year, but one leak curbs our excitement
This is an odd choice
By Sam Cross
-
Expected Samsung foldables could arrive later than expected this year
It could be a late launch for these foldables
By Sam Cross
-
Apple's iPhone just did something it never has before
This is an unprecedented event for the iPhone
By Sam Cross
-
Samsung hits pause on Android 15 rollout, but your phone might be lucky
Your delayed Samsung One UI 7 software update could be delayed some more
By Chris Hall
-
Samsung Galaxy devices could lose a unique feature after all
That's despite recent claims to the contrary
By Sam Cross
-
Samsung Galaxy handsets could get a massive free software upgrade as soon as this summer
That's way sooner than expected
By Sam Cross
-
Samsung's affordable phones get Awesome Intelligence upgrade for free
And its available to install right now
By Britta O'Boyle
-
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge could launch sooner than expected, because of space and time
You don't have to be a Doctor to realise why
By Britta O'Boyle