After dabbling in facial recognition as a form of biometric security with the Pixel 4 series and then quickly moving on, Google is bringing it back to the just-announced Pixel 7 series, as announced during Google's Made by Google event today.

Unlike the Pixel 4 series, which used a a miniature radar camera system (Soli) to grab a 3D map of our faces that's similar to the iPhone's approach, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro's face unlock will just use the single 10.8MP front facing camera.

However, Google is claiming this solution is still secure because it uses Google's "advanced machine learning models" for facial recognition, powered by the Google Tensor G2 chip that is making its debut in the Pixel 7 series. However, face unlocking can be used only to unlock the phone, and not for payments.

Google has not explained what exactly makes the Pixel 7 phones' face recognition more secure than, say, Samsung's take, but one option could be the use of dual-pixel auto-focus to help create a depth map of the user's face. Google's machine learning prowess is widely regarded as industry-leading, so perhaps the Pixel 7 series can pull off secure face unlock without needing a host of camera sensors which requires a notch or an island.

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro can be pre-ordered starting today by following the links below. The devices are available for a starting price of $599 and $899, respectively. Those who pre-order the Pixel 7 Pro from the Best Buy link below will receive a $200 Best Buy e-Gift Card and up to $400 with an eligible trade-in. On the other hand, Pixel 7 buyers will receive a $100 Best Buy e-Gift Card and up to $400 with an eligible trade-in.

The Google Pixel 7 is a refinement of the already excellent Pixel 6, making for a very polished flagship phone without exorbitant prices.
Google Pixel 7

Pre-order the Pixel 7 in Obsidian, Snow, or Lemongrass finish and get a free $100 Best Buy e-gift card.

Best Buy is carrying the Pixel 7 Pro in all three colors. You can buy one and get a $200 Best Buy e-gift card for free.
Google Pixel 7 Pro

Best Buy is carrying the Pixel 7 Pro in all three colors. You can pre-order one and get a $200 Best Buy e-gift card for free.