Google Working on Pixel 6 Face Unlock Feature, Could Depend on Under-Display Fingerprint Sensor: Report

This feature could reportedly be used in future Google smartphones, including the upcoming Pixel 7 series.

By Siddhant Chandra | Updated: 20 August 2022 00:09 IST

Google Working on Pixel 6 Face Unlock Feature, Could Depend on Under-Display Fingerprint Sensor: Report

Photo Credit: Google

Google Pixel 6 Pro was previously tipped to come with a face unlock feature

Highlights

Google Pixel 6a, other a-series smartphones could use this feature
This technology could be more energy efficient than normal face unlock
Google may use it to improve speed of Pixel 6’s fingerprint sensor

Google is said to be continuing its work on bringing the facial recognition feature to the Pixel 6. Future devices, including the upcoming the Pixel 7 series also expected to benefit from this feature. According to a new report citing industry sources, Google could be working on using the under-display fingerprint sensor in conjunction with the face unlock feature. This approach is reportedly energy efficient and is expected to work on a wide range of Pixel smartphones. Notably, the Pixel 6 Pro was rumoured to come with face unlock, however, the feature was reportedly pulled close to its launch.

According to a 9to5Google report, Google is developing a version of face unlock that also uses the under-display fingerprint sensor. This new feature reportedly works by lowering the recognition threshold for the fingerprint sensor when the smartphone partially recognises a face. The accuracy requirement of a fingerprint match would be significantly lowered, as per the report.

Notably, this new feature does not require any new hardware to function as intended. As such, this approach could bring the face unlock feature to both Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, and Google is reportedly testing this feature on these smartphones.

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The use of face unlock with the fingerprint sensor could also function on the Pixel 6a and other a-series Google smartphones, according to the report. Even the upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro could also utilise this feature. Notably, this approach is said to be more energy efficient than the traditional face unlock feature.

The report further mentions that this new approach could be Google's ploy to get the best out of the below-average under-display sensor on Pixel 6 series smartphones. The recognition speed of the sensor is said to be sluggish in comparison to the speeds offered by other flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup. Google is yet to officially announce plans to introduce a facial recognition-based system for its Pixel smartphone lineup.

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Google Pixel 6

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.40-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4614mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 6 Pro

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 11.1-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5003mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

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Google Pixel 6a

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
IP67-rated design
Impressive cameras for photos
Vibrant OLED display
Stock Android 13 software

Bad
Plastic back is prone to scratches
60Hz display does not feel fluid
Cannot handle heavy gaming
Recorded video needs work
Relatively slow charging, no wireless charging
Battery life could be better

Read detailed Google Pixel 6a review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 4410mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 7

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 90Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Good battery life
IP68 rating

Bad
Video recording could be better
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 review

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Samsung Galaxy S22

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Small and compact
Quality AMOLED display
Impressive performance
Good battery life
IP68 rated

Bad
Heats up easily with camera use
No bundled charger

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S22 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Rear Camera Unspecified

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 3,700mAh

OS Android 12

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