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Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Add Android Authority on Google: <\/p>\n
I\u2019m a big fan of the Pixel 11 Pro. I\u2019ve been using Google\u2019s flagship Android phone for over a month now, and there\u2019s so much about it that I love \u2014 be it the excellent cameras, gorgeous design, or clean software.<\/p>\n
I talked about a lot of these things in my Pixel 11 Pro review<\/a>, but there\u2019s one feature I didn\u2019t mention: Face Unlock. Since the Pixel 8 Pro launched nearly three years ago, every Google Pixel phone has launched with Google\u2019s Face Unlock feature.<\/p>\n Face Unlock is one of the Pixel 11 Pro\u2019s best tricks<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Starting with the Pixel 8 Pro (and base model Pixel 8) in 2023, Google equipped its Pixel handsets with two secure biometric unlock options: the in-screen fingerprint sensor and its updated Face Unlock.<\/p>\n Pretty much every Android phone<\/a> today offers some form of face unlock, but the way it worked on the Pixel 8, and continues to do so on modern Pixels, is very different from the competition. Face unlock on Samsung and Motorola phones, for example, can only unlock the lock screen. But on Pixels, Face Unlock gets a security boost from Google\u2019s Tensor chips, making it secure enough to unlock sensitive apps and authenticate mobile payments.<\/p>\n Google achieved this three years ago, and the fundamental tech really hasn\u2019t changed since the Pixel 8 series. But even so, Face Unlock still puts a smile on my face every time I use it.<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I don\u2019t dislike fingerprint sensors, and the one on the Pixel 11 Pro is quite good. But having the choice between it and a fully-fledged face unlock system is just immensely convenient. When I\u2019m already holding the Pixel 11 Pro, popping my thumb onto the fingerprint sensor is usually the quickest and most natural way to unlock the phone or access a banking app. But when the Pixel is lying on my office desk or kitchen table, just glancing at the phone to unlock it is the best.<\/p>\n Sometimes, I want a fingerprint sensor. Other times, I want face unlock. One isn\u2019t necessarily 100% better than the other, but I prefer each one under different circumstances. Having the choice to decide which to use on the Pixel 11 Pro is something I appreciate every single day \u2014 and something I can\u2019t get on any other major Android phone in the US.<\/p>\n It may sound silly, but Google\u2019s Face Unlock really is one of the (many) reasons I gravitate towards Pixels over competing Android phones. It\u2019s one of those quality-of-life features that\u2019s so hard to live without once you\u2019ve gotten used to it, and three years later, it remains just as magical as it did at launch.<\/p>\n I wish more Android brands would copy this, but they won\u2019t<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n You would think other Android brands would be eager to copy Google\u2019s Face Unlock approach, especially three years after its launch. But here we are in September 2026, and Google is still the only Android brand in the US \u2014 and other parts of the world \u2014 offering the feature.<\/p>\n Why? For all the flak Google\u2019s Tensor chipsets receive<\/a>, Face Unlock on Pixel phones exists only because of Tensor. Rather than creating specialized facial recognition hardware (\u00e0 la Face ID), Google\u2019s Face Unlock uses a standard front-facing camera paired with machine learning models tuned to Google\u2019s custom TPU in its Tensor chips. If brands like Samsung and Motorola wanted to offer something similar, they\u2019d have to invest enormous amounts of time and money into getting their own models to work with the non-specialized Qualcomm and MediaTek chips they use.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s Tensor chips may lose out in benchmark comparisons, but they\u2019re the reason why features like Face Unlock are so good. And if you ask me, that trade-off is 100% worth it.<\/p>\n Google Pixel 11 Pro<\/a> Excellent cameras \u2022 7 years of Android updates \u2022 Built-in magnets with Qi 2.2<\/p>\n The best of Pixel gets even better<\/p>\n The Pixel 11 Pro represents the best of Google smartphones in 2026. With a refined design (in better colors than ever), good day-to-day performance, outstanding cameras, and unrivaled software features, it’s one of those phones that’s hard not to love.<\/p>\n![\"Face](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/google-pixel-11-pro-face-unlock-pop-up-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
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Google Pixel 11 Pro<\/a><\/p>\n