Pixel 6 Pro will get face unlock after all

The Google Pixel 6 Pro will still get face unlock, sources from 9to5Google say. The Pixel 6 wouldn’t get that, despite having essentially the same camera hardware on the front.

The website reports that the development is not entirely a surprise, given that promotional material has already surfaced that the phone would have the function. The feature would have been functional before the release of the phones, so why it was removed is not clear. Face unlock may be coming to the Pixel 6 Pro in the next major quarterly update, the site’s sources said.

The Pixel 6 is just as capable on paper as the Pixel 6 Pro for face unlock. The Pro has an 11.1-megapixel camera with an extra large field of view on the front and the regular Pixel 6 has an 8-megapixel camera with a smaller field of view. Both models have no additional hardware in their front to better facilitate facial recognition. For example, the Pixel 4 used the Soli radar for this.

To date, the only form of biometric authentication that the Pixel 6 series supports is the fingerprint scanner that is incorporated under the display. It’s not uncommon for smartphones in the Pixel 6 series price range to support facial unlocking. This includes the Galaxy S devices, iPhones and the phones from OnePlus and OPPO.