Binu Panicker
Moneycontrol News
Mobile phones have come a long way since it began its commercial journey about three decades ago.
Everything about them has changed. From bulky, ugly devices of the past, modern phones have evolved into sleek gadgets measuring barely few millimetres.
Not just the way they appear, but also in security features, phones no longer require you to type the cumbersome password. With biometrics and face recognition gaining popularity, from budget smartphones to ultra-premium devices have upgraded to incorporate top end features.
Here's a look at five smartphones with the best face unlock feature.
Apple iPhone X
Apple was not only one of the first to bring face unlock to smartphones, but it’s Face ID technology is also widely considered the most secure. iPhone X has a whole host of hardware housed in the notch which includes the TrueDepth Camera, Dot Projector, Infrared Camera and Flood Illuminator. Together, they make a unique map of a user’s face with more than 30,000 invisible dots, which is the main reason behind its security and speed.
Display: 5.8 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen; Processor: Apple A11 Bionic; RAM: 3 GB; Memory: 64/256 GB
Price: Rs 84,990 to Rs 97,999
Mi 8 Explorer Edition
Launched earlier this month Mi 8 Explorer Edition is one of the first Android devices with 3D face-scanning system which is similar to Apple's Face ID. Though it is still unclear whether MI’s 3D face-scanning system is as secure as Apple’s Face ID, it is still the best in the Android ecosystem. Similar to iPhone X, Mi 8 houses its apparatus in the notch including the front camera, an infrared lens, a flood illuminator and a dot projector.
Display: 6.2 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen; Processor: Snapdragon 845; RAM: 8 GB; Memory: 128 GB
Price: CNY 3,699 (In China). Yet to be announced in India.
OnePlus 6
The new ‘flagship killer’ on the floor, OnePlus 6 is the latest Android smartphone to incorporate the face unlock feature. Featuring most top-of-the-line specs, face unlock was more of a natural feature for the device to have. However, OnePlus 6 does not incorporate a dedicated unlock feature similar to Apple’s Face ID, but instead relies on its front camera.
Display: 6.2 inch Optic AMOLED touchscreen; Processor: Snapdragon 845; RAM: 6/8 GB; Memory: 128/256 GB
Price: Starts at Rs 34,999.
Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung launched Galaxy S9 amidst much fanfare earlier this year. The device has a face unlock feature which is a little different than its other Android counterparts. Incorporating a technology called Intelligent Scan, the device scans not only th users face, but also the iris. So, in a way the technology is much more secured than the likes of OnePlus 6 as Intelligent Scan makes use of not just the software but also hardware part of the phone. However, there were reports doing the rounds that the phone refused to unlock when a user is wearing a sunglasses, or in ultra low-light conditions. However in such situations the phone always comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner to ensure you are not locked out.
Display: 5.8 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen; Processor: Exynos 9810/Snapdragon 845; RAM: 4 GB; Memory: 64/128/256 GB
Price: Starts at Rs 57,900.
Huawei P20 Pro
The AI-powered P20 Pro was launched by Huawei in March. The device incorporates 360-degree face unlock technology backed by a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) on its processor. Even in the absence of a dedicated hardware, P20 Pro surprised everybody with its lightning quick speed. In fact the company has claimed the feature is at least 100% faster than those present of iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy S9. Does it stay up to claims, yes, it surely does.
Display: 6.1 inch AMOLED touchscreen; Processor: Hisilicon Kirin 970; RAM: 6 GB; Memory: 128/256 GB
Price: Starts at Rs 64,999.
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