Google Pixel 6 Pro was supposed to launch with face unlock

Tech giant Google reportedly intended to announce the Pixel 6 Pro with support for face unlock to complement the under-display fingerprint sensor. The capability was only meant for the larger flagship and not the smaller Pixel 6, which collaborates something we previously speculated based on code, reports 9To5Google.

The hardware difference between the two phones is an 11.1MP front-facing camera with 94 degrees "ultrawide" field of view on the 6 Pro compared to 8MP and 84 degrees on the $599 Pixel 6.

Otherwise, there's no dedicated hardware (IR cameras, dot projector, or flood illuminator) as was seen on the Pixel 4 in 2019. There's nothing like Soli radar to speed up the unlocking process either.

The relatively last-minute decision to pull face unlock is reflected in how early and launch-day marketing material referenced the capability, the report said.

This included a German print ad (though that mistakenly claimed it was for the entry Pixel 6) and one UK-carrier launch page that showed "Face and Fingerprint Unlock" in a live image of Android 12's Security Hub.

That reference, as well as one in a Play Store listing screenshot, was later pulled. Since then, there have been additional straggling references to the capability on actual Pixel 6 Pro devices.