2020 will see more than a billion smartphones featuring facial recognition solutions

Facial recognition solutions are expected to come to a wide range of handsets in 2018 following Apple’s FaceID and Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s Face and IRIS unlock technology. More than one billion smartphones are expected to feature some form of face unlock solution in 2020.

When Apple announced Touch ID in 2013, it set a trend in consumer mobility. Smartphone OEMs around the world followed Apple’s example and integrated fingerprint sensors into their own devices. And they did so to such an extent that fingerprint-based security is now considered standard issue on even budget-priced smartphones. More than a billion smartphones are estimated to be shipping in 2018 sporting fingerprint sensors.

Is Apple permanently ditching Touch ID for contactless authentication?

Either way, inevitably, Apple’s rivals will adopt similar technology during 2018, which could lead to facial recognition becoming the de-facto standard for unlocking phones and the gradual elimination of fingerprint sensors in smartphones. Apple’s Face ID generates a 3D depth map of the user’s face that is achieved by the multiple sensors in its iPhone X. On the contrary, other players like Samsung rely on 2D facial recognition coupled with an iris scanner. OnePlus, on the other hand, relies on just 2D facial recognition. Going forward, we believe more OEMs will opt for facial recognition choosing between 2D and 3D facial recognition technology based on the price positioning of their product.

According to Counterpoint’s Component Tracker estimates, more than a billion smartphones will ship with facial recognition in 2020. Apple and Samsung will likely lead the pack for this new technology adoption, followed by Chinese players like, Oppo, vivo, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei etc.

Security versus Convenience…

A recurring theme when discussing biometrics is the balance between security and convenience, with the consensus being that convenience is generally more important than security to most consumers.

While there has been an undeniable trend towards contactless authentication during the past few months, predominantly to accommodate larger screens, many believe that the fingerprint sensor is far from dead.

Clearly Face ID will have a much wider application beyond authentication, including augmented reality and other applications which require accurate and sophisticated 3D sensing technology. However, cost issues will limit hardware-based 3D sensing to high-end phones, at least for the time being. This will create an opportunity for software-based facial recognition systems that can capitalize on the interest in facial recognition generated by Apple’s iPhone X and deploy these solutions in all but the premium flagship models.