Google Pixel 4 will have built-in radar and unlock with a face scan ...

Google Pixel 4 

  Google Pixel 4 to Feature Soli-Powered 

Face Unlock, Motion Sense Gestures

Google is taking a rather unorthodox – or to put it correctly, anti-leak - approach of hyping up the Pixel 4, and that involves officially revealing it one feature at a time before its launch. Google has today made two major Pixel 4 announcements – support for radar-based hands-free gestures to perform a wide array of tasks on its next flagship and hardware-backed face unlock. The teaser video shared by Google also confirms the top-heavy design of the Pixel 4 that leaks had indicated, complete with thick bezels at the top and the familiar two-tone button color scheme.

In an official blog post, Pixel product manager Brandon Barbello revealed that Google Pixel 4 will support face unlock and hands-free gestures called Motion Sense. But like a majority of smartphones that rely on the front camera for facial recognition, Google has equipped the Pixel 4 with dedicated hardware a la Apple's Face ID for more secure face unlock. All that works in conjunction with a radar-based system called Soli, something that has been in development at Google for nearly half a decade.

Google just can’t help talking about the Pixel 4 ahead of its presumed October launch. In a YouTube video and blog post, the company revealed that the phone will feature face unlock technology instead of a fingerprint sensor. Google also revealed that the Pixel 4 will have a feature called “Motion Sense,” which confirms that it will have a Project Soli chip that uses radar to detect hand gestures near the phone.

Adding face unlock puts the Pixel 4 on par with modern iPhones for unlocking, and it’s (at least in theory) more convenient than an in-screen fingerprint sensor. It’s also another example of Google raising the stakes on itself: if the Pixel’s face unlock isn’t as fast or as secure as the iPhone’s, that’s going to be a huge problem. Most attempts at face unlock on Android phones used just the selfie camera and were insecure and inaccurate (though, recently, a few have tried more advanced ways).

Google couldn’t help but take a small swipe at the iPhone while it can: right now, Face ID doesn’t work unless the phone is right-side up. But Apple already overcame this limitation on the iPad Pro and might offer the same flexibility with its 2019 iPhone lineup. Google also confirmed that the Pixel 4 will use the face unlock feature for payments: “face unlock works in almost any orientation — even if you’re holding it upside down — and you can use it for secure payments and app authentication too.” As with the iPhone, Google says that biometric data will be stored locally in a secure chip and never share with other Google services.