Apple is rumored to have removed the fingerprint sensor in its iPhone 8 and replaced it with a facial-recognition scanner. And now a new report says that scanner will trump all others.
According to BGR, Apple's facial-scanning technology will work far more effectively than the feature built into the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8. Better yet, the Apple technology will be less likely to fall victim to security hacks that would allow hackers to put a picture of you in front of the camera and gain access to your smartphone.
Apple is relying on a company called Realface for its facial recognition software, according to BGR. Realface is an Israeli-based company that crafts 3D versions of a person's face, and compares that against whatever is in front of the camera. Samsung's technology, on the other hand, uses a 2D scan to map a person's face. Realface is also wholly owned by Apple, so there's no chance of it coming to other devices.
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The difference is important. When you scan your face on the Galaxy Note 8, it's basically taking a 2D look and comparing it against a 2D look. A picture can be held up to the camera and, under the right conditions, the phone can be duped into believing you're really standing in front of the device ready to gain access.
Apple's reported technology, however, will take a full 3D scan to ensure it's actually a person standing in front of the smartphone. It will then compare that 3D image against the 3D scan it performs on the fly and see if it fits. That should reduce false positives and could boost security.
Best of all, Realface claims to have a success rate of 99.67 percent, which is actually better than a human's ability to recognize a person.
Of course, it's important to note that we haven't seen Apple's facial recognition in action yet, and it's possible that the Realface technology won't work nearly as well as the company's information might suggest.
We'll know for sure after September 12, when Apple finally unveils its new handsets.
