June Wan/ZDNET
I have been utilizing the Pixel telephones since they have been first launched to the general public. From the primary telephone to the most recent, the expertise has (for probably the most half) been distinctive.
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Sure, there was the dreaded Pixel 4 and it is shamelessly unhealthy battery life however virtually each Pixel I’ve used has exceeded my expectations.
With one caveat.
Biometric authentication has been a blended bag. Again when Google first launched front-facing fingerprint unlock, it was iffy and gradual. Thankfully, they resolved the problem for the Pixel 7. On the similar time, some apps used Face Unlock, whereas others did not. Due to that, it was virtually a guessing recreation as to how you’d unlock one app over one other.
That is very true with banking apps, which have been solely in a position to make use of fingerprint unlocking.
Thankfully, with the Pixel 8, those self same apps will be capable of make the most of Face Unlock. That is additionally true for cost apps like PayPal and different apps which have historically solely labored with fingerprint unlock.
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Hopefully, this may also enhance the general Face Unlock expertise. To this point, I’ve discovered Face Unlock on my Pixel 7 Professional to be lower than dependable. Typically it really works instantly to unlock my telephone and generally I’ve to resort to fingerprint unlocking. Thankfully, fingerprint unlocking is nearly speedy, so it isn’t a deal breaker by any means.
The catch
Sadly, this new widespread Face Unlock assist is not inherent in Android 14 however, moderately, particular to the Pixel 8 gadgets. In different phrases, you probably have a Pixel system older than the 8, your banking and cost apps will nonetheless defer to fingerprint authentication.
Why is that so? Greater than seemingly, the brand new Face Unlock within the Pixel 8 is tied to the Tensor G3 and Titan M2 safety chip mixture. Though the Pixel 7 makes use of the identical Titan M2 chip, it consists of the Tensor G2, so I am guessing the characteristic is inherent within the Tensor 3 chip and the way it works at the side of the Titan M2 chip.
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Each the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional are formally out there for preorder, with costs beginning at $699 and $999, respectively.