BMW Might Want Your Door Handle To Be A Screen That Reads Fingerprints
by Horatiu Boeriu · BMWBLOGArticle Summary
- The handle could show one graphic when locked and another when unlocked, plus the BMW logo, waking only when a hand approaches.
- BMW also describes pairing the fingerprint check with facial recognition through an interior camera, plus a separate emergency release control.
- China will require mechanical door releases from January 1, 2027, so a production version would need a fallback like the X5’s Winglets have.
A BMW patent application filed in Germany in April 2025, and published this month, describes a glass-covered MicroLED door handle that could unlock the car with a fingerprint. While future tech is constantly evaluated at BMW, this one is more interesting: it’s featured on the new, and controversial, winglets introduced by the BMW X5 G65. The fingerprint sensor that could unlock the door electrically, no conventional key required. The filing was first spotted by CarMoses.
What Would A Screen In BMW’s Door Handle Show?
Rather than simply lighting up, the handle would change what it displays based on the car’s status or what the user is doing: one graphic when the doors are locked, another when they’re unlocked, plus the BMW logo or animated light effects. Sensors would detect an approaching hand or a touch and wake the display only when needed. The screen itself would be a thin MicroLED film behind transparent glass or plastic, so nothing sticks out from the bodywork.
The lock-status graphic is the useful part. The logo animation is less essential, though a brand that gave the new X5 a headlight welcome sequence is unlikely to resist it.
How BMW’s Fingerprint Unlock Would Work On Paper
If the sensor in the handle recognizes an authorized print, the door unlocks electrically. BMW also describes pairing the fingerprint check with facial recognition through an interior camera for an extra layer of security, and it mentions an additional control above the usual door-handle area that could serve as an emergency release. The filing doesn’t spell out how every component would work in a production car, which is normal for a patent.
Could The X5’s BMW Winglets Be First In Line?
Nothing reported about the filing ties it to a specific model, but the Winglets are the obvious candidate. The slim gloss-black tabs sit in the B- and C-pillars at the beltline, open the door with a light touch, lock the car when you hold a finger on them for about a second, and light up at night. BMW already has a glossy, illuminated, touch-sensitive surface exactly where a driver reaches, so adding a MicroLED film and a fingerprint reader behind it would be a smaller leap than it sounds. The X7 (G67) gets the same Winglets in 2027.
There’s a catch. From January 1, 2027, China requires a mechanical release on every car door handle except the tailgate, and BMW already had to give the long-wheelbase iX3 built for China semi-enclosed handles to comply. The X5’s Winglets already have a mechanical fallback so a dead sensor can’t lock anyone out, and any screen-and-fingerprint version would need one too.
Our read: the lock-status display is a sensible upgrade, while the fingerprint reader is a harder sell when keyless entry and BMW’s Digital Key already let owners walk up and open the door.Its best argument is that a fingertip never runs out of battery, while a phone key keeps working for only about five hours after the battery dies, and only if you tap it on the handle.
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