WARSAW, Feb 1, 2026, 13:08 (CET)
- A PhoneArena editor said Android fingerprint unlock can feel like a step back compared with 3D face scanning
- The piece argues phone makers could ship both fingerprint and 3D face unlock more widely, but often choose not to
- Android and handset makers now grade biometrics by security strength, as face unlock expands into payments and app sign-ins
A smartphone reviewer at PhoneArena said many Android phones lean too hard on fingerprint unlock, calling it a “downgrade” after years using Apple-style 3D face scanning. Victor Hristov wrote in a Jan. 31 editorial that the trade-off is no longer just about speed, but about what users accept as “secure enough” on a device that holds banking and payment access. (PhoneArena)
It matters because biometric checks now sit in the middle of everyday money and identity flows. Apple says Face ID can authorize payments and purchases, and it relies on a TrueDepth camera that projects and analyzes thousands of invisible dots to build a depth map — a 3D scan meant to be harder to spoof than a flat selfie. (Wsparcie Apple)
On Android, the platform itself draws lines around what counts as “strong” biometrics. Android’s documentation defines three biometric strength classes and says only certain authenticators can plug into sensitive APIs used by apps, while also noting that Android 12 added support for under-display fingerprint sensors — readers placed behind the screen. (Android Open Source Project)
Hristov argued that many brands could deploy more robust 3D face unlock, but avoid extra front-facing hardware to keep the camera cutout smaller. He also wrote that most face unlock systems on Android still rely on 2D camera images, which he said can struggle in the dark and can be easier to fool than depth-based systems.
He pointed to Honor’s Magic8 Pro as an example that “both” is possible: the company markets “Dual 3D Biometric Unlocking,” pairing 3D time-of-flight face unlocking with a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint option. (HONOR)
Google has pushed face unlock further on its Pixel phones, while warning users about the limits. In its Pixel help documentation, Google says Pixel 8 and later can use Face Unlock not only to open the phone but also to verify identity for app sign-ins and purchases, and it cautions that Face Unlock may be less secure than a strong PIN and may fail in low light or with face coverings. (Pomoc Google)
The Pixel 8 shift was visible as early as 2023. Tech site 9to5Google reported that Pixel 8 Face Unlock can authorize tap-to-pay and banking sign-ins, quoting Google as saying it meets the “highest Android biometric standard” and ties into Android’s BiometricPrompt system used by many apps. (9to5Google)
The “both methods” playbook is not new. A 2018 WIRED review of a flagship phone described an optical in-screen fingerprint reader — a sensor that “sees” a finger through the OLED panel — and said it “needs to be more reliable,” while noting the handset also offered IR-assisted face unlock. (WIRED)
Hardware and cost still sit behind the slow rollout of Face ID-like security across Android. In a 2024 interview, Robert Devlin of Metalenz told WIRED the Android market “wanted this” kind of secure facial authentication so much that some vendors shipped “substandard solutions” that unlock a phone without offering the same security assurances. (WIRED)
But adding more biometric hardware can mean bigger camera cutouts, higher component costs and more points of failure. Face unlock also carries its own downside case — accidental unlocks, look-alike matches and privacy sensitivity — which is why some vendors still steer users back toward fingerprint enrollment even when face unlock is available.
Apple’s latest Face ID support list shows how firmly it has backed the approach, with Face ID spanning iPhone models from iPhone X through the iPhone 17 lineup, alongside Face ID-enabled iPads. (Wsparcie Apple)
Hristov’s argument, stripped down, is that 2026 buyers should not have to pick just one biometric method for a $1,000 phone. Whether Android makers change course may come down to what users complain about most — and what they stop buying.
