Facial recognition and ability to unlock your mobile devices simply by looking at it has emerged as one of the sought after feature on smartphones. Now, the Finnish company HMD Global with license to sell Nokia-branded smartphones has confirmed that select devices will get the feature via a software update. Also Read - Facial recognition payments just around the corner, but is it a safe mode for transactions
Also Read - Nokia 7 Plus update brings September 2020 security patchThe company has confirmed that it is bringing support for face unlock to Nokia 8, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 plus and Nokia 6.1. The implementation will vary depending on the hardware capabilities of these devices. It is important to note that the face unlock mechanism on these device, which will basically be similar to capturing your selfie, is less secure than traditional biometric recognition like fingerprint sensor. HMD Global has not confirmed which other devices will be getting face unlock feature but the recently launched Nokia X6 with notched display could join the list soon. Also Read - Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 8 update rolling out with July 2020 security patch
@deepalakshmii Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 plus and the new Nokia 6, as well as the Nokia 8 will get face unlock as an OTA update in the coming months
Nokia Mobile (@Nokiamobile) June 23, 2018
The face unlock mechanism became mainstream when Apple announced Face ID alongside the launch of iPhone X last year. While Apple’s Face ID relies on dedicated sensors including a dot project, infrared camera and flood illuminator, Android smartphone makers are replicating the feature without the use of such sensors. Samsung, the largest smartphone maker in the world, relies on infrared sensor to enable facial recognition on its flagship smartphones.
In the case of Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 plus, Nokia 8 and Nokia 6.1, HMD Global will use the front camera, image signal processor and the CPU to enable face unlock. It is possible that the feature will never make it to older models due to their lack of faster processor.
Watch: How to setup Face ID on the iPhone X
To recall, HMD Global had launched the Nokia 7 plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco at Mobile World Congress in February. The Nokia 7 plus is a mid-range device with modern design supporting 18:9 display and dual rear camera setup. It received support for Google’s ARCore last week allowing the smartphone to use ARCore-powered applications.
