Roger Fingas for AppleInsider:
Google on Monday previewed a pair of features coming to its Pixel 4 smartphone, including “Face Unlock,” apparently directly competing with the Face ID technology on Apple’s X-series iPhones.
Pixel 4 owners will be able to both unlock their device and authenticate payments with Face Unlock, Google said. The system relies on two IR cameras, a dot projector, a flood illuminator, and an ambient light and proximity sensor.
Android devices have mostly been unable to compete directly against Face ID, since the parts required for that level of facial recognition can be expensive to manufacture, leading to higher pricetags.
MacDailyNews Take: Google to knock off Apple’s iPhone. What else is new?
Here’s what Google’s Android looked like before and after Apple’s iPhone:
Pixel Phone? Has anyone ever seen one in the wild?
No, mostly iPhones, some android in my community.
All of these phones overlap in design and features now, does anyone really care anymore? The announcement about 5G being in the 2020 phones is cool, but the cameras have exceeded my capabilities and pretty much everyone else’s as a photographer, and the sound oh phone calls using HD voice is stunning, and I can’t possibly be happier with the damn phone. Applause! Applause! I don’t need it to Fold! I don’t want it to fold! Applause!!!!
Now. Let’s talk Mac.
Mac. Just be the first on your block to own a new Mac Pro. I doubt a fully-equipped Mac Pro will be beaten by a Linus Tech Tips Hackintosh Special. However, if it is beaten for a lot less money, I want Tim Cook to resign immediately.
So let’s be straight. You want Tim Cook to be sacked because the Mac Pro will be more expensive than a cheap_as_chips, Jerry built, Chinese slave labour assembled generic box eyesore?
Thankfully, Apple is not run by eejit knuckle draggers.
As far as video goes, iPhone X series are still far ahead of Android with HDR video and recording time limited only by storage.
My friend has a Pixel phone. He changed from an iPhone. You should see him swipe his phone like crazy trying to behave like an iPhone owner. The phone nowhere near fluid like an iPhone… If you can live with dropframe…
I had the impression all the tech Youtubers hated Face ID because it’s not fast enough (by milliseconds) or they had to lean over to get their face recognized if the iPhone was lying flat on the table. The Android way was always better with a touch sensor under the display which means “no freaking notch.” It seems as though Apple wasted good time and effort on 3D mapping and all they got for it was… “We hate that freaking notch” or “That notch is an abomination.” It’s obvious many people can’t deal with compromises. I’m sure Samsung will be able to solve the 3D mapping problem by using some system that works under the display with no visible notch and be declared as the most innovative tech company on the planet.
I would like a mind-unlock feature where the smartphone reads my password thoughts to unlock itself but I’d still be happy using a 6-digit pin number as it works just as well for my purposes. Loss of a few minutes a day means almost nothing to me.
I’m sure the iPhone is losing out to Android by purchase cost alone. I don’t think features or lack thereof is making the difference. It may or may not be Apple’s fault directly but the state of the economy is giving the nod to Android devices by a huge margin. Apart from reducing iPhone prices, there’s nothing else Apple can do to increase iPhone sales.
It’s becoming more and more like Sprint vs Verizon pricing commercials where feature parity is close enough Price/Feature considerations are brought to the forefront when purchasing a new device. Finally having a device using Project Soli is going to be interesting.
They would actually be knocking off Apple and the several other vendirs before them…