Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu have teamed up to unveil the Arrows NX F-04G, the world's first smartphone with iris recognition technology that can be used to both unlock the device and also make mobile payments. High-end devices from Apple and Samsung already use fingerprint scanners to help prevent unauthorized access to one's smartphone, as well as facilitate mobile payments. But iris scanning seems to be the future in a password-less authentication world. Iris scanners are slightly slower than fingerprint authentication, but are more accurate than regular fingerprint scanners, as they are based on patterns in the iris that are unique to each individual.

There have been reports of manufacturers working on incorporating iris scanner in their mobile devices, with the latest rumor claiming that Samsung's upcoming tablet would feature iris scanning technology. Microsoft has also announced that its upcoming Windows 10 OS would use iris recognition to allow users to log into their computers.

The Arrows NX F-04G, made in collaboration by NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu, is based on a prototype iris scanner that was demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain this March. The Arrows NX F-04G is billed as the first commercialized smartphone with iris authentication technology that can also be used to authorize mobile payments. The smartphone will allow users to unlock their devices and pay for their shopping simply by looking directly into the front-facing camera.

According to NTT Docomo, the Arrows NX is the world's first smartphone to use iris recognition along with fingerprint authentication. The Arrows NX operates based on authentication specifications set by the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, which is supported by Microsoft, Google, PayPal and others.

In terms of hardware, the Arrows NX F-04G features a 5.2-inch QuadHD (2,560 x 1,440) display and is powered by an octa-core processor (2.0GHz quad-core 1.5GHz quad-core), paired with 3GB of RAM. The Japanese smartphone, which runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, offers 32GB of internal storage and packs a 3,120 milliamp-hour (mAh) battery. The Arrows NX F-04G is scheduled to arrive in Japan during May, though both the companies have not provided any details about an international release.