[ad_1]
Google has ditched the face scanner on its flagship Pixel smartphone, just a year after introducing it with fanfare.
The search giant announced two new 5G Pixel phones at its annual hardware event, a bite-sized keynote that lasted just 30 minutes, and both featured fingerprint sensors instead of the sensors it introduced last year.
The Pixel 4 had what Google last year touted as the fastest face-unlock technology in the business, as well as a radar chip that allowed users to do things like skip songs by making hand gestures on the screen.
However, for the presentation of the Pixel 5, Google did not spend time talking about the bells and whistles of the phone, instead opting to focus on the basic functions of the device.
The search giant spent just a few minutes on the latest version of its flagship phone, touting its edge-to-edge display and top-of-the-line camera range, which now includes an ultra-wide-angle lens.
Reaction to the omission of facial recognition was generally positive, with Twitter users celebrating the return to the biometric sensor.
“I want to get the Pixel 5 just for the fingerprint reader” a person tweeted. “In the age of masks, facial unlocking is not ideal.”
Google’s newest phone will also feature an “Extreme Battery Saver” mode, which the company says will help extend the device’s battery life by up to 48 hours by allowing users to choose which apps work at any given time.
The $ 699 phone will likely be significantly cheaper than rival devices from Samsung and Apple, which has yet to reveal its next iPhone 12, and will launch on October 15.
Google also confirmed the Pixel 4A, a cheaper Pixel model that can also access 5G networks. The $ 499 phone will launch in November.
The Mountain View, California-based tech giant also announced a new $ 99 Nest smart speaker that will become the flagship device in its Google Home product line, as well as the first remote-controlled Chromecast device.
The Chromecast includes Google TV, the company’s answer to Amazon Fire TV, and other streaming platforms. Customers will be able to use the remote control to navigate different streaming applications through the entertainment center.
[ad_2]
