Tag: face unlock

LG G8 To Feature 3D Face Unlock System

LG Mobile division has been struggling to find success. Despite launching two good devices last year, LG couldn’t sell many of them and thus these phones got lost in obscurity. But LG refuses to give up. It plans on releasing at least two flagships at MWC 2019 if reports are to be believed. The phones are expected to be the G8 ThinQ and the V50 ThinQ. LG themselves have sort of confirmed that the G8 will be making it’s debut soon and a number of leaks later, we know a lot of things about the device already.

But LG has gone out of their way to reveal an interesting information about the G8 ThinQ. In a blog post published today, LG has confirmed that the LG G8 ThinQ will have the 3D Face Unlock feature by using a TOF camera from Infineon.

LG G8 ThinQ Specifications

The LG G8 will be the basic flagship for 2019 with the specifications matching it. The phone will Snapdragon 855 chipset, a 6-inch display with a notch. The battery capacity will be 3500mAh for the LG G8. The phone may arrive in 2 variants, One with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

The TOF camera mentioned in the blog post by LG is made by Infineon. LG says in the post, “While other 3D technologies utilize complex algorithms to calculate an object’s distance from the camera lens, the ToF image sensor chip delivers more accurate measurements by capturing infrared light as it is reflected off the subject. As a result, ToF is faster and more effective in ambient light, reducing the workload on the application processor thereby also reducing power consumption.”

Also read: JioPhone 3 To Have A Touchscreen And Will Be More Expensive

The technology works similar to the FaceID in Apple’s newest iPhones. The difference will be that Apple uses an array of sensors. LG will probably may just use the TOF camera for authentication. How secure this solution will be isn’t known yet. LG is expected to unveil the LG G8 ThinQ at MWC 2019 in Barcelona. The pricing is expected to be around the $750 mark or around Rs. 45,000 for the LG G8 ThinQ.

February 7, 2019
OnePlus 6 Face Unlock Bypassed By A Printed Photo

The OnePlus 6 was launched in India on May 17th at a starting price of Rs 34999. While the smartphone looks and feels very different from the OnePlus 5T, it has retained a few important features from its predecessor. One such feature is Face Unlock, which has become so famous that OnePlus has rolled out the feature to OnePlus 3, 3T and OnePlus 5 as well. While it is fast and convenient, it is not that safe and a new video on Twitter just proved that.

I printed my face to unlock my OnePlus 6 for the lulz… it worked ¯_(?)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/rAVMq8JKBr

— rik van duijn (@rikvduijn) May 29, 2018

A Twitter user @rikvduijn posted a video of his OnePlus 6 being unlocked by a printed photo of his face. It is also been reported that this will work with a black-and-white printed photo as well. As seen in the video, the photo is not even placed properly on the face and the phone’s Face Unlock is bypassed.

[amazon_link asins=’B0756Z43QS’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’000bfe3d-6405-11e8-82f1-5d911f17a2f1′]

At the time of the OnePlus 5T launch, the company conceded that Face Unlock is not the most secure way of authentication. Since the OnePlus 5T had a rear-facing fingerprint sensor, the company wanted its users to have a more convenient way of unlocking their device hence, Face Unlock was introduced. Since this purely software based, OnePlus was able to roll out the feature to other devices as well. In its statement to PhoneArena, the company reiterates that:

We designed Face Unlock around convenience, and while we took corresponding measures to optimise its security we always recommended you use a password/PIN/fingerprint for security. For this reason Face Unlock is not enabled for any secure apps such as banking or payments. We’re constantly working to improve all of our technology, including Face Unlock.

Must Read: OnePlus 6T To Follow OnePlus 6 In Q4 2018

Many people compared OnePlus’ Face Unlock with Face ID. The main reason Face ID is relatively slower is because it is hardware-based and is much more secure (since it has replaced Touch ID) than the Face Unlock. As OnePlus has suggested in its statement, OnePlus 3/3T/5/5T/6 users should always use a PIN or a password or fingerprint sensor of security.

May 30, 2018
OnePlus 3, 3T Receiving Face Unlock Feature With OxygenOS 5.0.3 Update

While OnePlus is riding high on the success of the OnePlus 6, it hasn’t forgotten its older devices. The OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, launched in 2016 have already been updated to Android 8 Oreo. The company confirmed that Android 8 Oreo will be the last major update for these two devices but, they will continue to get timely OxygenOS and security updates. The two smartphones have started receiving the new OxygenOS 5.0.3 update which brings in new features including Face Unlock.

Face Unlock was first introduced on the OnePlus 5T. Soon after the launch, the feature received rave reviews for being extremely fast. Its speed was compared to the iPhone X even though the Apple using a 3D facial recognition system and is much more secure than OnePlus’ Face Unlock feature. Nevertheless, the feature has become very popular since then and OnePlus has rolled out the feature to the OnePlus 5, and now the 3 and 3T.

Face Unlock On OnePlus 6

[amazon_link asins=’B0756Z43QS’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’6d9012f5-600d-11e8-82f9-31d09bc691f3′]

Since OnePlus’s Face Unlock is software based, it was possible for the company to roll out this feature to older devices as well. With the new OxygenOS 5.0.3 update, OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T users will also be able to unlock their smartphones quickly without using the fingerprint sensor. However, since the fingerprint sensor on the 3 and 3T resides on the front, it really doesn’t seem like a necessary feature.

With the new update, there are new improvements to the Launcher, for example, there is a more refined shelf UI design, a new design for App shortcuts, and more pop-up options for when users long press an app icon. There are other subtle changes as well, like improved positioning accuracy for weather, a new ‘large files’ category in the Files app and more.

If OnePlus 3 or 3T users have not received a notification for an update yet, they can head to Settings > System Updates and then check for a new update. If an update is still not available, fret not, as these are usually phased updates and should come to your device sooner rather than later.

May 25, 2018
Asus Zenfone Max Pro Receives Face Unlock Feature Via New Software Update

Asus launched its new budget smartphone, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro on April 23rd. The smartphone retails for Rs 10999 for the base variant and the company has already promised to launch a 6GB RAM variant with better camera performance. Asus has been pushing out a few software updates to the Zenfone Max Pro before its first sale and the new update brings the Face Unlock feature to the device.

The Face Unlock feature is definitely the marquee addition with the new software. However, there are a few other changes that might improve the day-to-day usage of the smartphone. The update brings improvement to the gyroscope functionality and some audio parameters. Asus claims that the response speed of the fingerprint sensor will also improve. There are a few improvements in the camera department as well like colour correction, HDR Algorithm, low light photography and more.

Must Read: Asus Zenfone Max Pro Vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro is also only the second smartphone running on the Snapdragon 636 chipset to be launched in India. This means that it is a direct competitor of the highly popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the Zenfone Max Pro is its battery capacity. It is powered by a 5000 mAh battery while the size and weight of the smartphone are almost equivalent to that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro. For context, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is powered by a 4000 mAh battery. However, the Zenfone Max Pro will charge via a micro USB port which means it could take a while to fully charge from 0%.

Must Read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Price Hiked

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro is available in two variants in India for now, one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and the other with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage You can buy it by clicking here. At the launch, the company also announced that a 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant with better camera capabilities will be launched at a price of Rs 14999.

That 5000 mAh battery will be powering a 5.99 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution.

So far, Asus smartphones have had the custom ZenUI on top of Android. However, Asus has gone the stock Android route with the Zenfone Max Pro. Out of the box, the Zenfone Max Pro will run on Android 8.1 Oreo, which is the latest version of Android available right now. Asus has also promised timely software upgrades for their new budget smartphone up to Android Q.

May 3, 2018
Top Smartphones With Face Unlock Under Rs. 15,000

The face unlock feature is slowly gaining a lot of traction in the smartphone industry ever since the iPhone X was launched. Similarly, Android smartphone OEMs began to push this feature on their flagship smartphones. Now, the technology is even available on mid-tier smartphones. Though face unlocking is not as secure as a fingerprint sensor, it is definitely getting better by the day. So, here are the top three smartphones with face unlock under Rs 15,000.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Along with face unlock, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro packs some interesting attributes for Rs 13,999. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. In fact, this is the first global smartphone to have this processor. The smartphone has a metal unibody design with a dual camera setup. The 12MP primary sensor captures images and the 5MP depth sensor helps to create a bokeh effect. Face unlock is achieved using a 20MP front-facing camera.

Honor 9 Lite

Honor 9 Lite

The Honor 9 Lite has a bunch of features that are not usually found on the smartphones at Rs 10,999. The device has a glass back, glass front, and a metallic mid-frame. On the front, the mobile has a 5.7 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px IPS LCD screen with a 2.5D curved glass finish. The smartphone has dual camera setup on both the sides with a similar 13 MP RGB and a 2MP depth sensor combination. The face unlock is achieved using front-facing camera and it works fine in well-lit lighting conditions. In fact, this is one of the most affordable smartphones with face unlock.

Honor 7x

Honor 7x

If you liked Honor 9 Lite and wanted to have a bigger screen with a metal body, then the Honor 7x might be the one to consider. It uses a conventional metal unibody design with a slightly bigger 5.99 inch FHD+ 18:9 aspect ratio. Compared to the Honor 9 Lite, the 7x has a better primary camera setup with a 16MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. The device recently received a software update, which adds face unlock feature. However, unlike the Honor 9 Lite, the device has an 8MP front-facing camera. This smartphone is priced at Rs 12,999 for 4GB RAM and 32GB storage variant.

March 22, 2018
Honor 7X Gets Face Unlock Feature Via New Software Update
Honor launched the Honor 7X in India back in December 2017. The company subsequently announced that the Honor 7X will soon get the revered Face Unlock feature. The company has delivered on the announcement and rolled out the new feature to Honor 7X via an OTA. Priced at Rs 12999, it is one of the best smartphones in the price bracket with its dual-camera setup and 18:9 aspect ratio.

P Sanjeev, Vice-President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group said:

Face Unlock Intelligent feature is usually available in flagship level smartphones, however, Honor in its endeavor to deliver unmatched smartphone innovation to the Indian consumers has introduced this feature in the coveted Honor 7X
The Huawei OTA update will be incrementally rolled out to all Honor 7X devices by mid-March. It is worth noting that the Honor 7X is the third Honor device after the View10 and Honor 9 Lite to receive the Face Unlock feature. In its price bracket, only the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has Face Unlock.

Honor 9 Lite Face Unlock

Face Unlock Features

With Face Unlock, users can unlock their smartphones without reaching for the fingerprint sensor. This comes in even more handy with the Honor 7X since its fingerprint sensor is placed on the back. Hence, it is easier to unlock your device when it’s laying flat on a surface. With the new feature, you can also hide your notifications for other via smart notifications. This basically means that the notification preview will be hidden unless the phone detects the stored face.

Honor 7X Specifications

The Honor 7X has a 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px display which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the Honor 7X has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The onboard storage is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. The device is powered by a 3340 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot.

The smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back. The camera setup at the back has PDAF and records 1080P videos at 30fps. On the front is an 8MP camera which also records 1080P videos.

5.9 inch IPS LCD

HiSilicon Kirin 659

4GB RAM

32GB/64GB expandable storage

16MP+2MP depth sensor

8MP front camera
March 12, 2018

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Vs Honor 9 Lite: Specifications Comparison

Xiaomi Redmi 5 is expected to launch in India on the 14th of March. Considering the price of the Redmi Note 5, the Redmi 5 is expected to be cheaper in India. In fact, the 2GB RAM version is expected to retail for Rs 6,999 and the 3GB RAM version for Rs 8,999. For this price tag, the smartphone offers some of the best-in-class design and specifications. The Redmi 5 has a 5.7 inch 1440 x 720 px IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio, powered by Snapdragon 450 chipset. Even the 12 MP primary camera is exactly similar to the one used on the Note 5 and the Note 5 Pro.

The Honor 9 Lite takes a different route. In fact, this is the only smartphone to feature premium glass design with a quad-camera setup under Rs 15,000. The device has a 5.7 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px display, which has more pixels than the Redmi 5. In fact, the smartphone does support face unlock using the front-facing camera, which is like the cherry on the cake. However, do note that the entry-level model of the Honor 9 Lite retails for Rs 10,999, which could be at least Rs 4000 more than the price of the Redmi 5.

Specifications	Honor 9 Lite	Xiaomi Redmi 5
Price	Starts at Rs 10,999	Expected to start at Rs 6,999
Display	5.65 inch IPS LCD 18:9 Aspect Ratio	5.7 inch IPS LCD 18:9 Aspect Ratio
Resolution	2160 x 1080 px 428ppi	1440 x 720 px 282ppi
Chipset	HiSilicon Kirin 659	Snapdragon 450
RAM	3GB 4GB	3GB 4GB
Storage	32GB 64GB Expandable up to 256GB	16GB 32GB Expandable up to 256GB
Battery	3000 mAh	3300 mAh
Primary Camera	13MP 2MP (depth sensor)	12MP
Primary Camera Video	1920 x 1080px @ 30fps	1920 x 1080px @30fps
Secondary Camera	13MP 2MP (depth sensor)	5MP
Add-ons	Fingerprint Sensor Face Unlock	Fingerprint Sensor

March 7, 2018

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, Mi 6 Will Soon Get Face Unlock Feature

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first Xiaomi smartphone to support Face Unlock. Similarly, the company is testing this feature for the Mi MIX 2 and the Mi 6 on the beta version. In fact, users can install the Global beta ROM to test this feature. However, as the ROM is in beta stage, it might not be suitable for a primary device.

So, if you own a Mi MIX 2 or the Mi 6, the device will receive an OTA update in next few days. However, the company warns about using the feature, as it can be fooled using a photo or a video.

Specifications of Xiaomi Mi MIX 2

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has a 5.99 inch 2160 x 1080 px LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The device is powered by a 3,400 mAh battery which is considerably smaller than the previous generation Mix’s 4,400 mAh battery. The Mi Mix 2 runs Android 7.1.1 with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 9 on top.

Under the hood, the flagship smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, Adreno 540 GPU, 6GB RAM and storage options of 64GB, 128GB or 256GB. A special edition Mi Mix 2 with a full ceramic body, 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage has also been announced.

The smartphone sports a 12-megapixel Sony IMX386 sensor with 1.25-micron pixels, an f/2.0 aperture 4-axis optical image stabilisation, 5-piece lens, and facial recognition. On the front is a 5MP which features facial recognition as well.

Mi Mix 2

Specifications of Mi 6

The Mi 6 has a 5.15 inch 1920 x 1080 px LCD display. Under the hood, the device has Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Adreno 540 GPU for graphics. The fingerprint sensor is housed in the home button just below the display. Powering the device is a 3350 mAh battery and the phone runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MUI skin on top.

The Mi 6 has a dual camera set up of two 12MP cameras at the back. On its front, it has an 8MP camera which records 1080P videos.

March 3, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Could Get Faster Software Updates

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India for Rs 13,999. While the smartphone is a great product for its price and was in fact, sold out within minutes. Xiaomi has a missed a few marks on this smartphone. As a smartphone of 2018, it is surprising that it still runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

However, Xiaomi may have a fix for this as well. A new report claims that the smartphone may soon receive Android 8.1 Oreo with support for project Treble, which enables faster Android updates on a smartphone with a custom skin. However, as per the developer, the company is testing the Oreo build internally and no actual time frame is specified. This means that the Redmi Note 5 Pro could be the first Xiaomi smartphone to support Project Treble.

What is Project Treble?

Project Treble is a feature that is included as a part of Android 8 Oreo OS. This enables OEMs to make software updates faster and easier. A few months ago Android gained a “Vendor Interface” (VI), largely due to a new development effort from Google. The VI’s aim is to separate the “Vendor Implementation” (that is, “the device-specific, lower-level software written in large part by the silicon manufacturers”), from the Android OS framework.

The new VI is supposed to sit between the Android OS framework and Vendor Implementation. And the new VI will be validated by a Vendor Test Suite (VTS), which is analogous to the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) that Google has been using for API testing of apps. The VTS ensures forward-compatibility of the VI.

Credits: Android Authority

What project Treble brings to the table is quite evident from the two images above. Before, the VI needed to be reworked after every single Android OS framework update, while with Project Treble, that won’t be the case anymore.

Specifications:

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 5.99-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD display with Gorilla Glass protection. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Octa-core chipset with either 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

The smartphone has a dual primary camera setup with a 12 MP primary camera and secondary 5 MP depth sensing sensor. For the first time, the company has used a 20 MP front-facing camera with soft selfie-light.

In terms of operating system, the smartphone runs on Android 7 Nougat with custom MIUI skin on the top. Finally, the smartphone features a 4000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick charge 2.0 capability.

February 23, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Gets Face Unlock

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India. It is priced at Rs. 13999 and went on sale on the 22nd of February. The company claims that the device was sold within minutes. At the time of the launch, the company claimed that the Redmi Note 5 Pro will soon get the Face Unlock feature via a software update. It looks like the company was waiting for the smartphone to go on sale as the update has already started rolling out.

The company has released a new software update which enables the Face Unlock feature. Not only that, with the latest software update there will be additional software optimisations with significant camera improvement. In fact, this is the first Xiaomi smartphone in India to receive the Face Unlock feature.

The Face Unlock on the Redmi Note 5 Pro uses a face detection algorithm in less than 500ms using high accuracy matching mechanism. The company claims that the face-unlock can unlock your smartphone faster than the fingerprint scanner.

If you bought a Redmi Note 5 Pro today, you'll see an update to v9.2.4 available out of the box – Brings significant camera improvements, stability optimizations, and Face Unlock! ? pic.twitter.com/3ORMHhTFs3

— Clinton Jeff (@clintonjeff) February 22, 2018

So, those who bought the smartphone in the first flash sale on 22nd February can install MIUI 9.2.4 to get face unlock and improved camera capabilities. However, do note that the smartphone still doesn’t support 4K video recording even though the chipset supports native 4K recording.

Specifications:

The Xioami Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 5.99-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass Protection. This is the first global smartphone to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Octa-core processor with 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

In terms of camera capability, the smartphone comes with dual primary camera setup with a 12 MP primary camera and secondary 5 MP depth sensing sensor. There is a 20 MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording capability.

In terms of operating system, the smartphone runs on Android 7 Nougat with custom MIUI skin on the top. Finally, the smartphone features a 4000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick charge 2.0 capability.

February 23, 2018
Honor 9 Lite Gets Face Unlock Feature

Huawei sub-brand Honor launched the Honor 9 Lite in India in January. Priced at Rs 10999 for the base variant, the Honor 9 Lite is one of the few devices in the price category to offer an 18:9 aspect ratio. In fact, the Honor 9 Lite has an all-glass design with a metal frame and offers a dual-camera setup on the back as well as on the front. No other smartphones in this price offer these features.

However, Honor has no plans of stopping there. The company has announced that by 5th of March, all Honor 9 Lite devices will receive the infamous Face Unlock feature via HOTA (Huawei Over The Air) update.

Sanjeev, Vice President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group said:

At Honor, we believe in delivering superior and innovative smartphone experiences and the Face Unlock rollout for Honor 9 Lite is in line with our commitment. Honor 9 Lite will be the most affordable smartphone in the Indian market to support Face Unlock feature.

The Honor 9 Lite already runs on Android 8 Oreo while the Redmi Note 5, which goes on sale tomorrow, is on Android 7 Nougat right now.There are no claims that the Redmi Note 5 will eventually receive Face Unlock. Hence, the Honor 9 Lite remains the only device in this price range to offer such a feature.

Honor 9 Lite Specifications

The smartphone has a 5.65-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio. The design of the device is different from what other companies offer in this price range. The device has a glass sandwich design with a metallic frame.

Under the hood, similar to the Honor 7X, the Honor 9 Lite has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, an octa-core processor, the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB and 64GB. It is worth noting that the onboard storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card.

The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back and the bottom bezel on the front houses the Honor branding. However, the company could have housed the fingerprint sensor in the bottom bezel, similar to the Honor View10.

Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which also supports the Super Charge technology.

The device has four cameras. To the front and back, it has a 13MP camera along with a 2MP depth sensor. Both the camera setups record 1080P videos at 30fps.

February 21, 2018
Face Unlock Feature Rolling Out To OnePlus 5 Users

The OnePlus 5 has gone from being one of the best smartphones to a forgotten sibling in just a few months. In November, OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5T as an upgraded version of the OnePlus 5. Unlike the upgrade from the OnePlus 3 to 3T, the most noticeable change was on the outside.

The OnePlus 5T got rid of giant bezels and also moved the fingerprint sensor to the back. This prompted the company to introduce a new feature, called Face Unlock. Still considered to be one of the fastest facial recognition systems on the market right now, the Face Unlock feature is a great feature. The OnePlus 5 has finally started receiving the much coveted Face Unlock feature as well.

The update is a part of an incremental update, OxygenOS 5.0.2. The changelog also includes a CPU security patch (CVE-2017-13218), enhanced EIS for video recording, and updates to Launcher, Gallery, Weather, and File Manager apps.

OnePlus 5 Specifications

[amazon_link asins=’B01FM8M0EI’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’3a58a6c8-0726-11e8-8aa1-3d6c72fb82d4′]

The OnePlus 5 has a 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

The 2017 flagship has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with a combination of either 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage or 8GB RAM and 128 of storage which can not be expanded.

The OnePlus 5 is powered by a 3300 mAh battery with DashCharge technology.

The OnePlus 5 also features dual cameras on the back, one of the cameras is a 20 MP sensor with an f/2.6 aperture, while the other is a 16 MP telephoto lens with an aperture of F/1.7. On the front is a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

February 1, 2018
Face Unlock Is Coming To Android Go Smartphones

In September of 2017, Apple launched the iPhone X without the beloved Touch ID. In came Apple’s spin on facial recognition, called Face ID. Even though the facial recognition technology has been present in Android smartphones for a number of years, it has gained mainstream attention ever since the launch of the iPhone X.

More smartphone makers have announced their plans to introduce facial recognition technology in upcoming smartphones. The OnePlus 5T, launched in November 2017 has one of the fastest Face Unlock right now albeit, not the most secure. MediaTek, one of the biggest smartphone chipmaker after Qualcomm has announced plans to introduce the coveted facial recognition technology in entry-level smartphones.

MediaTek claims that the facial data is stored on its chipset natively. Which means the facial data collected for authentication does not get stored in the cloud, thereby keeping it secure. The company also claims that its facial recognition system is fast and can unlock a smartphone in 0.5 seconds. It has a 30º angle unlock which makes it possible for one to unlock the smartphone while facing sideways as well.

Expected Nokia 1 Design

The MT6739 chipset has features like Dual 4G VoLTE support, 18:9 HD+ display, and 13MP+2MP dual camera setup with bokeh effect.

The chipset from MediaTek will be optimised to work with Android Go smartphones.It is already working with Reliance Jio on an Android Go device, as reported earlier. Also, this chipset will power entry-level smartphones which are expected to be priced below Rs 5,000. The first Android Go smartphone with MT6739 chipsets will be available starting March this year.

January 31, 2018
Honor View10 Gets Face Unlock And Other AI Features With New Update

Honor launched the Honor View10 globally on the 4th of December in London. It was subsequently announced that India will be one of the first few markets to get the device and at an impressive price of Rs. 29999, the Honor View10 went on sale from the 8th of January. The Honor View10 is the only smartphone in its price bracket that has such an emphasis on AI, something that is touted to be the future of smartphones.

[amazon_link asins=’B077PWJQ57′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’1250eed5-fcea-11e7-a20c-7507f01538b7′]

Out of the box, the Honor View10 had facial recognition which had a few nifty implications such as notifications preview but, there was no Face Unlock. However, with the new update that Honor has started seeding for all the Honor View10 devices, the Face Unlock feature will now be active. This means that apart from the Apple iPhone X and the OnePlus 5T, the Honor View10 is also a smartphone with a proprietary facial recognition security system.

To enable Face Unlock, a user needs to first enrol their face by accusing facial recognition feature in the settings menu. Unlike the iPhone X, a user doesn’t need to rotate their face as the phone figures out the positioning between the face and the phone and adjusts the direction accordingly.

Apart from the impressive new Face Unlock feature, there are lots of new updates that revolve around the device’s AI capabilities. In the new update, there are features like AI motion detection in the front and rear camera, AI Zoom, Super-resolution imaging, and Smart Tips. Smart Tips features include knuckle gestures, smart assistance, wide aperture photos, and QR code scanning.

In the front camera, there is a feature called Change Background. It does exactly what the name suggests, before clicking a picture, a user can select from a set of effects as the background. It is worth noting that this feature is only available in the front cameras for now.

The update has started seeding and is scheduled to reach all devices by the 24th of January. You can check for the update by going to Settings < System < System update.

January 19, 2018
OnePlus 3, 3T To Get Face Unlock Feature

OnePlus 5T was launched back in early-November 2017 as a refreshed variant of the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T has a modern design with thin bezels and a tall display and has a different camera setup at the back as well. However, OnePlus introduced another feature in the OnePlus 5T that was a first for the company, Face Unlock. Subsequently, the company announced that the OnePlus 5 would soon get Face Unlock via an OTA update and the company’s co-founder, Carl Pei asked OnePlus 3 and 3T users to voice their opinion and demand the Face unlock feature for their devices.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/946428911688323072

After a couple of weeks of putting out that tweet, Pei has confirmed that the OnePlus 3 and 3T users will get a beta version of Face Unlock via an OTA update. This is possible because OnePlus’ facial recognition is purely software-based, unlike Face ID.

[amazon_link asins=’B0756ZFXVB’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’54df3e1c-f82e-11e7-a722-d954e19208da’]

The intention behind face Unlock on the OnePlus 5T was the convenience, since the fingerprint sensor was moved to the back. Face Unlock is an easier way to unlock your smartphone, however, it is not as secure as other facial recognition systems such as Apple’s. OnePlus conceded this after Face Unlock received great reviews for incredibly fast and accurate and ideal lighting conditions, that this system can not be used for bank transactions or storing data.

OnePlus 5T

OnePlus is not the only company to come up with its facial recognition system, Huawei unveiled its own technology and even claimed that it is faster and more accurate than Face ID while being secure enough for bank transactions. Samsung has been implemented iris scanning on its smartphone for some time now, and there are reports that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be even more accurate.

January 13, 2018