Samsung obtained a patent for a face recognition 3D camera from the US Patent Authority.
While Apple was the first to introduce this feature on an iPhone X with Face ID, Samsung had filed the patent application in 2014, meaning it had been working on it for some time. Samsung could have introduced a phone to the technology before the patent, but was working to improve it so that it could be used commercially in the near future.
The patent includes many functions, including: iris tracking, motion detection, night vision, 3D sensor for flight time and others. The system will add two new features to the front of the device, a light source close to infrared and a biometric camera, while two new units will process incoming information internally. NIR will also illuminate the user while the sensor will pick up the reverse signals, a feature currently on the Find X phone and the Mi 8 version of Explorer. The front camera will also provide the system with information about the user's eyes if they are opened or closed, or presumably if they wear glasses.
This technology is likely to come with the next Galaxy S10 phone in 2019.