When the Galaxy S9 launches early next year, the device will reportedly feature an iris scanner that’s secure enough to authentic mobile payments, according to the Korea Herald.

The report claims the biometric feature will utilize a 3-megapixel sensor to capture clearer images of a user’s iris, the portion of a person’s eye behind the cornea. Samsung’s system will be improved so drastically that it will recognize users in less than a second, rivaling fingerprint sensors.

“Iris scanner is the safest biometric authentication (among iris, fingerprint and face recognition) and we will continue to improve the system for upcoming smartphones for safer banking transactions,” a Samsung spokesperson said.

Samsung’s solution is said to be a response to Apple’s Face ID, which the Cupertino company introduced with this year’s iPhone X. The feature uses a complex TrueDepth camera system capable of recognizing a user’s unique facial features.

When the Galaxy S9 launches with an improved iris scanner, it will reportedly work even when a user is wearing sunglasses.

An iris-scanning feature has been part of Samsung phones as far back as the ill-fated Note 7. However, while the feature has been relatively fast and secure, it hasn’t proved to be the most reliable method for unlocking a device.

But today’s report indicates Samsung could make big enough strides to make it the Galaxy S9’s preferred method of biometric authentication.

We should learn more about the Galaxy S9 early next year.