Samsung is working on a new kind of lens that could make future smartphone or XR headset slimmer without cutting corners on performance. The company has teamed up with Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) to develop its latest “metalens” technology, described in a paper published in Nature Communications.

Instead of using traditional curved glass, a metalens controls light using nanostructures that are thinner than a human hair. The research team — led by Dr. Jeong-Geun Yun from Samsung Research and Professor Junsuk Rho at POSTECH — came up with a two-thirds wavelength phase-delay method. This approach avoids the need for tall, fragile nanostructures, making the lenses more durable and easier to produce. The result? Camera modules that are about 20% thinner, shrinking from 2mm to 1.6mm.

From XR eye tracking to smartphones

The team demonstrated the tech with an infrared eye camera for XR headsets, managing accurate iris recognition and pupil tracking over a 120° field of view. They also boosted sharpness, with modulation transfer function (MTF) jumping from 50% to 72%.

Samsung says it plans to adapt the tech for visible light cameras, which could help shrink the camera bumps on future smartphones. Bigger sensors have improved low-light performance, but they’ve also made those protrusions more noticeable — just look at the vivo X200 Ultra. This new lens approach could change that.

Apple is reportedly exploring similar ideas for an under-display alternative to the Dynamic Island, so it’ll be interesting to see which company brings it to market first. If successful, smartphones might finally get sleeker, cleaner designs again.

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