Face ID is Back and Better Than Ever in the New iPhone 11

“Apple says Face ID is now 30 percent faster with an improved performance at a range of distances.”

The prognosticators were right: Apple’s newest iPhones feature an enhanced version of Face ID, with Touch ID yet to make its return (if it ever comes back).

The biometric enhancements are relatively modest. Apple says Face ID is now 30 percent faster with an improved performance at a range of distances. It can also scan a user’s face from a greater range of angles, though Apple hasn’t gone so far as to claim that it can scan you when it’s lying flat on a table in front of you.

While Face ID made a very splashy debut two years ago with the iPhone X, it has received relatively little attention in its enhance form with the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Apple’s focus with these devices is instead on their imaging capabilities, with additional cameras making them stand out from last year’s iPhone models.

The iPhone 11 features a dual camera system featuring Wide and Ultra Wide lenses, with support for 4K video and a new Night Mode feature designed to enhance pictures taken in low-light settings. The iPhone 11 Pro and its plus-sized Max counterpart, meanwhile, each feature a triple-camera imaging system with a third Telephoto lens.

Other highlights of this iteration of iPhones include the A13 Bionic chip, heavy-duty IP68 water resistance, and a 6.1″ Liquid Retina display for the iPhone 11 and Super Retina XDR displays for the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. There’s also a bit more variety in the iPhone lineup’s palette, with the iPhone 11 available in red, black, white, yellow, green, and purple, and the iPhone Pro models available in grey, off-white, dark green, and gold finishes.

As for Touch ID, nobody really expected it to make its return in this year’s iPhone models, especially since they’re generally considered iterative enhancements over last year’s devices, rather than substantial redesigns. But some credible reports have suggested that a return of Apple’s pioneering fingerprint scanning system is in the works for future iPhone models – possible as early as next year – with Apple keen to keep up with competitors’ use of newer in-display fingerprint sensor technology.

For now, though, an upgraded Face ID will have to do. The new iPhones will go on sale through pre-order starting on September 13th, and will hit stores on the 20th.

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Like all biometrics solutions, face recognition technology measures and matches the unique characteristics for the purposes of identification or authentication. Often leveraging a digital or connected camera, facial recognition software can detect faces in images, quantify their features, and then match them against stored templates in a database.

Face scanning biometric tech is incredibly versatile and this is reflected in its wide range of potential applications. Learn more on Mobile ID World’s Facial Recognition page.