While Apple popularised the concept of face unlocking feature aka Face ID with the iPhone X, anything of that sort is still missing with Android handsets. That seems set for a change with Xiaomi likely to field the same unlocking technology on its upcoming Mi 7 handset.
Taiwanese publication Digitimes that first broke the news on this also claimed this would make Mi 7 the first Android handset to feature face unlock feature. However, the phone isn’t expected to be launched until the third quarter this year, which translates to a launch around July, 2018.
However, it is not known how Xiaomi plans to implement the face unlock feature on its Mi 7 phone. What is clear though is that it would be backed by dedicated hardware which should include sensors and specialised cameras to implement the tech. It will be unlike the plethora of Android handsets already in the market that offer face unlock though those have largely been achieved by software optimizations.
Apple Face ID in turn is based on infra red camera, 3D depth sensing camera, specialised sensors, dot projector to create a true 3D image of the user’s face. Apple is also claiming its Face ID tech is intelligent enough to be able to recognise the right user even if the user has grown a beard or has clean shaven. Similarly, the tech is believed to work if the person becomes bald or has started using specs and so on.
In other words, Face ID would be immune to changes that the user undergoes. Apple is also claiming it to be several times more secure than fingerprint sensors. However, the Apple face unlocking technology has already had a few hiccups where a son managed to inlock his mother’s iPhone X. That apart, identical twin too stand a chance of unlocking the iPhone X.
It is not known though how Huawei is going to address these issues. Maybe we will get to know it better once the Mi 7 appears in flesh in the coming months.
