Android fans would go to any length to convince you that Apple’s flagship phones merely copy features that Android phones have been offering for years. Android devices had the facial recognition feature years before Apple introduced Face ID that uses 3D depth-mapping. Face ID is far more secure than the face detection technology on Android phones. Samsung and other vendors switched to OLED display years ago. But, according to DisplayMate, the OLED screen used on the iPhone X is far better than any Android phone on the planet including Samsung’s flagship models. So, you see, Apple does things its own way using far more sophisticated technologies. Now Chinese smartphone vendor Huawei has announced that it is going to blatantly copy the iPhone X’s signature features like Face ID and Animoji.
Huawei to launch a superior 3D-sensing technology
The instant popularity of the Face ID and Animoji seems to have prompted Android vendors to add similar features to their own devices. Huawei, the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, wanted to tell the world that it’s working on an answer to the Face ID and Animoji, and its features would be much better than Apple’s offerings. The only problem is that Huawei didn’t tell which phone would first get the iPhone X-copied features, and when that phone would go on sale.
At an event where it unveiled the Honor V10 smartphone, Huawei teased a 3D depth-sensing camera technology that would support facial recognition and animated emojis. Just like the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X, it would use infrared and a projector to create a 3D map of the user’s face. Huawei claims its system will analyze 300,000 points on your face. That is 10x higher than the 30,000 infrared dots projected by the iPhone X’s Face ID on your face.
The Chinese company claims its face recognition system would be secure enough to be used for mobile payment authentication. Also, it would be blazing fast, unlocking your phone in just 0.4 seconds. You will be able to use it in a variety of lighting conditions, reports WinFuture.
Huawei blatantly copies the iPhone X’s animoji
Huawei also showcased its Animoji feature that it claims is much more advanced than Apple’s. Animoji is a fun way to communicate with your friends. You can choose any of the available animated emojis to enact your facial expressions and voice on it. The iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera does a pretty good job tracking your facial expressions and movements. Huawei claims its camera will be able to track your tongue movement as well, which the iPhone X can’t do.
When will it bring these features to market?
The moment Apple unveiled the iPhone X, we knew that Android vendors would copy its signature features in one way or the other. But it’s quite surprising to see Huawei copying the Face ID and Animoji so blatantly and shamelessly. Anyway, Huawei hasn’t announced which phone would use these features, or when it would ship. The Chinese company was just trying to show you that it was working on an answer to Apple’s Face ID and Animoji. It’s not something people could buy next month.
Even if Huawei manages to offer 3D facial recognition and animated emoji features that are better than Apple’s, the fact is that it didn’t have the courage to take big risks and introduce revolutionary features of its own. It was the iPhone X that proved that novel features like 3D depth-sensing and animated emojis could do well in the market. Huawei and other Android vendors are merely following Apple’s lead.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said earlier that before the iPhone X launch, Android vendors were exploring the in-display fingerprint sensor for security and authentication. But the iPhone X has tilted their interest towards front camera-based 3D depth-sensing technologies. Enquiries into 3D-sensing technologies from Android vendors have more than tripled since Apple unveiled the iPhone X in September.
Kuo told investors that the in-display fingerprint reader was seen only as a “spec upgrade,” but the 3D-sensing delivers a “revolutionary user experience.” It is also a key factor in augmented reality applications. The analyst has previously said that it would take Android smartphone makers about two years to replicate the TrueDepth camera’s functionality and user experience.
Apple sold 6 million iPhone X units during the Black Friday weekend
Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang estimates that Apple witnessed impressive iPhone X sales during the Black Friday weekend. The analyst says Apple sold about 6 million iPhone X units between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The figure doesn’t include other models such as the iPhone 8, 8 Plus or the iPhone 7, which has received a price cut.
In total, Apple is estimated to have sold 15 million iPhone X units since November 3. Rosenblatt Securities added that most customers were buying the 256GB variant of the device, which costs $1,149. The 256GB version is selling twice as fast as the 64GB iPhone X. It should boost Apple’s average selling price during the holiday quarter.
