A new report on Apple's facial recognition technology claims that it can read faces within millionths of a second, supporting previous claims that the company will be replacing Touch ID on the iPhone 8 with Face ID.
There remain many concerns on the security of Face ID compared to Touch ID, but recent reports have increased the chances that Apple will be dropping fingerprint recognition on the iPhone 8 in favor of facial recognition.
Apple Face ID For iPhone 8 Sounds Amazing
The additional details on the Apple facial recognition technology was reported by The Korea Herald, though the publication did not cite the source for the information. However, given that it is based in South Korea, also the home country of iPhone 8 display supplier Samsung, it is not hard to guess. Samsung might not be the supplier of Apple's facial recognition systems, but the company likely has information on the iPhone's complete display assembly.
In addition to its speed, Apple's Face ID is also said to be capable of working even at odd angles, such as when the iPhone 8 is placed flat on a table. The technology is also reportedly able to scan faces in the dark, and uses more data points compared to the system of Samsung and Apple's own Touch ID to make it more secure.
iPhone 8 To Have Face ID, No Touch ID
The Korea Herald report adds that Apple, along with Samsung, have failed to embed a fingerprint scanner in the display of their upcoming flagship smartphones due to technical difficulties. Both companies wanted to do so after the elimination of the Home button to create a nearly bezel-less front.
While Samsung apparently decided to place the fingerprint scanner at the back of the Galaxy Note 8, similar to the Galaxy S8, Apple is reportedly dropping Touch ID altogether and going all-in with Face ID.
With the speed of facial recognition for the iPhone 8 not a problem, one of the glaring concerns regarding the elimination of Touch ID in favor of Face ID was security. With more data points, Apple's facial recognition will not be easily fooled like the system used in the Galaxy S8, which was tricked with a photo of the user. In addition, Apple's Emergency SOS feature in the upcoming iOS 11 will presumably disable Face ID when activated, so the iPhone 8 will not be forcefully unlocked by holding it up in front of the user.
Until official confirmation from Apple, however, it remains unclear whether the iPhone 8 will indeed drop Touch ID in favor of Face ID. The device, along with the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, are expected to be announced next month.
