Report suggests Face ID-like Project Toscana may not debut on Pixel 11 after all

While it was originally speculated that the Pixel 11 series would ship with an advanced face unlock system called Project Toscana, a new report from Mystic Leaks suggests that it may not happen this year.

The report says that the project is not yet ready, and as a result, it may not debut on the Pixel 11 series. It’s advanced face unlock technology that’s supposed to rival Apple’s Face ID.

Google’s current camera-based face unlock is nowhere near as good, and Apple’s Face ID system is theoretically more secure and works better in low light. While there have been improvements in Pixel’s face scanning in recent models, thanks to stronger ML and better security chips, it’s still not good enough to replace the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner as the primary authentication biometric.

Project Toscana is rumored to be a major upgrade on the hardware side. Face ID uses Infrared Light (IR) to map and recognize your face, and it also consists of a dot projector and flood illuminator.

Early reports indicate that it’ll feature an IR sensor underneath the display, and it unlocks the device just as well as Face ID. We covered Project Toscana in detail here.

This technology aside, there are some decent upgrades across the board. The Pixel 11 might get Samsung’s best OLED display panel, and a glass camera bar is rumored for the Pixel 11 Pro.

Furthermore, the leak mentions that the MediaTek M90 modem (MT6986D) would be used instead of Samsung’s Exynos-based modems, which may solve the cellular reception complaints on Pixels.

The leak also specifies the codenames for the Pixel lineup this year. The Pixel 11 is codenamed Cubs, the 11 Pro is Grizzly, the 11 Pro XL is Kodiak, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is Yogi.

Additionally, the report also mentions that the thermometer might be dropped, and that an RGB LED array would be added around the camera bar. This may be called “Pixel Glow.” We’ve seen similar implementations of this from companies like Nothing and Vivo.

While the tipster has a decent track record with accuracy, it’s worth noting that this article heavily relies on Mystic Leak’s speculation about Project Toscana not being present on the Pixel 11 series. There’s still a small chance that we may see it this year, but it’s unlikely.

Featured image credit: Android Headlines

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