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5 mobile phones for all budgets which use facial recognition technology

Facial recognition may be integrated with other biometrics or security tokens into a frictionless, multimodal approach to provide even greater security and faster authentication. Such an approach is being used around the world for fighting crime, preventing fraud, improving public safety and more recently, helping to combat the impact of COVID-19.

Over the past 40 years, NEC has worked tirelessly to improve the technology used in the accurate identification of individuals within the framework of biometric security systems. We have been consistently ranked independently as the number one facial recognition software provider by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Facial recognition is used by world-leading agencies and organisations throughout the world and is being widely utilised by mobile phone companies as a way of accessing and authenticating devices.

Whilst the speed and accuracy of such software are not comparable with the technology used by NEC NeoFace, there have been huge advancements in the past 2-3 years in such technology, since the launch of Apple’s Face ID in 2017. Since Apple’s ground-breaking launch, all major players in the mobile phone market have followed suit with the introduction of their own facial recognition technology.

Apple continues to pioneer when it comes to mobile device facial recognition technology. You will now find mobile phones to suit any budgets that incorporate facial recognition technology. Here are five of the best:

1.      Apple iPhone 13

The Apple iPhone 13 is still considered the best smartphone to buy if you intend to use Face Unlock as a secure measure rather than a gimmick to unlock your device.

The iPhone 13 is the most expensive smartphone on this list, but the facial recognition technology used justifies the price. According to Apple, “The technology that enables Face ID is some of the most advanced hardware and software that we’ve ever created. The TrueDepth camera captures accurate face data by projecting and analysing over 30,000 invisible dots to create a depth map of your face and also captures an infrared image of your face.

PriceSpy’s lowest price in NZ – $1,427.00

2.      Google Pixel 6

Google’s Pixel lineup of smartphones continues to get better and better and the latest model, the Pixel 6 is not only their best phone to date, but it’s also the most secure. Google has invested heavily in facial recognition technology and this is included in the Pixel 6 model. Google claim that the Pixel 6 is their safest Pixel yet and that “Google Tensor has an extra layer of protection and works with the new Titan M2™ security chip to keep Pixel even more resilient to attacks.” The Pixel 6 also has built-in anti-phishing and anti-malware protection, helping to keep your phone safe no matter where you are.

PriceSpy’s lowest price in NZ – $948.00

3.      Samsung Galaxy S21

Samsung has been utilising facial recognition since its launch with the Galaxy Note 7 model, but the technology has advanced since that initial launch. The flagship S21 smartphone offers a much more secure way of unlocking your mobile phone. Although there have been some teething problems with the facial recognition software on Samsung devices, they have been making improvements to eradicate the issues of spoofing and we would expect to see their next models improve significantly.

PriceSpy’s lowest price in NZ – $999.00

4.      OnePlus 9

The OnePlus 9 is one of their flagship phones alongside the more expensive OnePlus 9 Pro and incorporates fingerprint as well as facial recognition as a biometric method of accessing and authenticating the device. The phone was widely reported to have one of the fastest unlocking features using facial recognition. However, unlike Apple, the device uses the front camera for its facial recognition along with OnePlus’ security algorithms. Following issues with previous models, including the OnePlus 6T, they have improved their security features over the past two years and the latest OnePlus models can rival any smartphone on the market when it comes to the facial recognition element.

PriceSpy’s lowest price in NZ – $698.00

5.      Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro

The best value smartphone on our list to include facial recognition technology is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro. Like most budget brands in the smartphone market, Xiaomi has really invested in its biometric offerings and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro comes with both facial recognition and fingerprint recognition. The new front camera on the Xiaomi is capable of mapping out your face in great detail, improving the overall security of the phone and providing you with safe and secure access to both your device and your apps.

PriceSpy’s lowest price in NZ – $499.00

Summary

All major smartphone brands now include facial recognition as a way of accessing and authenticating both your device and specific apps. As we can see from the five phones listed above, there is a huge difference in price between the top smartphones and budget phones that feature face unlock. The thing that you are paying for with the top of the range phones is the secure technology and the level of facial recognition scanning.

Smartphone technology will continue to grow apace and facial recognition technology in smartphones will continue to evolve. Always remember that the convenience of face unlock should never compromise the overall security of your device. So, make sure you read the device reviews prior to purchase to ensure that the device, and your information contained within it, are secure.

Updated: 20 April 2022

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