Samsung Galaxy S21 killer feature revealed — and the iPhone 12 can’t match it

Samsung Galaxy S21 killer feature revealed — and the iPhone 12 tin can't match information technology

(Image credit: Snoreyn/LetsGoDigital)

If a new rumor about the Samsung Milky way S21 is accurate, your voice is going to be your password to next year'southward flagship telephone. And it's a capability that will potentially make iPhone 12 owners green with envy.

Reporting on the phone expected to debut in early 2021, SamMobile says the frequently-overlooked Bixby assistant is picking up the ability to offer biometric unlocking instead of a face, pin code, or design. In the by, Bixby has been an available unlocking option for users to ready to follow vocalisation commands after using the wake phrase "Hi, Bixby."

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Bixby had offered and unlocking vocalisation command ii years ago, but Samsung disabled that feature amid security concerns. Presumably, if voice-unlocking is coming back, Samsung feels that it'due south worked through those issues.

The vocalisation-unlock capability would be part of One UI 3.1, Samsung'south phone interface built on Android xi. That means the characteristic would somewhen brand its way to other Milky way devices, including some of the flagship available at present, though the Galaxy S21 would have voice unlocking out of the gate.

There aren't really any details floating around on how you lot'll be able to set Bixby to use this pick or what vocalization unlock entails, but it's certainly a tantalizing new addition to the options users have when setting up their phone'due south lock screen. It too isn't clear how secure a vocalisation unlock would actually be, or how elementary it would be to fool the phone just like you can with facial recognition.

Right now, nosotros're yet unsure of what kind of release engagement we're looking for when it comes to the Galaxy S21 series. Reports have indicated it could be as early as January 2021. In recent years, Samsung has shown off the new Galaxy S phones in February before releasing them in March.

As far as pricing goes, we can likely wait the Galaxy S21 to be in a similar ballpark as the Galaxy S20 line, starting around $999. Rumors point to 4 models — a Milky way S21 joined by a Galaxy S21 FE. Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Pop Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Proverb, and more than. She's likewise appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX Eastward and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she'south non writing or gaming, she's looking for the adjacent great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.