Face Unlock to hit Nokia phones: Will your phone get the update?

• HMD has confirmed that several Nokia phones will receive facial recognition functionality in the next few months.
• The company said the Nokia 8, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and new Nokia 6 will receive the feature.
• HMD hasn't confirmed whether less expensive Nokia phones will receive the feature as well.

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Face unlock functionality is enjoying a comeback on Android since Apple implemented Face ID on its iPhone X. Now, Nokia has joined the pack in announcing the feature for its smartphones.

The Nokia Mobile Twitter account responded to a query about the feature (h/t: NokiaCamp), confirming Face Unlock was coming to several phones in "the coming months." These phones are the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, the new Nokia 6 and last year's Nokia 8.

@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 company reportedly offers face unlock via the Smart Unlock feature already, but this requires users to swipe up from the lock screen after recognition. Nevertheless, several Nokia phones in China offer proper facial recognition too, such as the Nokia X6, delivering seamless unlocking. The groundwork is there for the feature to come to the West.

Don't expect Nokia's take to be as secure as facial recognition seen on the latest Xiaomi and Oppo flagships. After all, these high-end devices have an array of dedicated sensors, as opposed to Nokia using the front camera only.

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We would love to see Face Unlock on HMD's cheapest devices though, as these phones often lack fingerprint scanners. This way, cost-conscious consumers still have a convenient biometric authentication solution, even if it's not as secure as a fingerprint.

HMD hasn't mentioned any other handsets yet, but we've asked it about the possibility of Face Unlock on its lower-tier phones, and will update the article accordingly.

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