Xiaomi to snub under-display fingerprint sensor on the Mi 7, opt for facial recognition instead

The Mi 7 is billed to be one of the first flagships in the next generation of devices. Xiaomi's Mi flagships don't have a history of being particularly exciting, however, as the company tends to try to balance cost with performance, which leaves no room for innovative features seen on rivals from brands like LG and Samsung. The Mi 7 may just be set to turn that trend on its head, though, with rumors claiming it will feature its own facial recognition technology.

The iPhone X that was released a few months ago set the smartphone world ablaze with its Face ID. Flawed it may have been but Apple's take on the biometric system clearly outdid previous iterations of the technology on Android devices. Unsurprisingly, a number of OEMs look to be on their way to creating worthy competitors for Apple's Face ID, with Meizu and MediaTek announcing their intents on creating a similar technology, and companies like Xiaomi and Huawei said to be working on theirs already.

Facial recognition aside, another biometric innovation on the cards is the under-display fingerprint sensor, a feature that is expected to be seen on a Vivo phone as early as next month. The OnePlus 6 has also been said to offer something similar. Xiaomi may be looking to spice things up in their 2018 flagship, as the company has decided to ignore the under-display sensor in favor of a facial recognition system.

The Mi 7, unlike the iPhone X, is said to also feature a regular fingerprint sensor, as the company believes the physical sensor provides a level of convenience facial recognition cannot match.