Google seem to enjoy leaking teasing the upcoming Pixel 4 phones, and some of the features they will bring to the table.  The latest teaser comes in the form of a YouTube video (below) and blog post (source link) which basically confirms that the Pixel 4 phones will not have a fingerprint scanner. Taking a page out of Apple’s book, Google is killing the fingerprint scanner and is replacing it with face recognition hardware that will allow users to unlock their phones by looking at them.

The teaser also mentions a feature called “Motion Sense”, which is basically Project Soli applied to the upcoming smartphone, where users will be able to interact with their smartphones using gestures. Before our international readers get too excited, there is a fine print saying that Motion Sense might not be available in all countries where the Pixel 4 will roll out to.

Motion Sense and face unlock work together to offer an improved user experience, and, unlike Apple’s Face Unlock, the Pixel 4 phones will unlock regardless of the orientation of the device. The blog post continues:

Other phones require you to lift the device all the way up, pose in a certain way, wait for it to unlock, and then swipe to get to the homescreen. Pixel 4 does all of that in a much more streamlined way. As you reach for Pixel 4, Soli proactively turns on the face unlock sensors, recognizing that you may want to unlock your phone. If the face unlock sensors and algorithms recognize you, the phone will open as you pick it up, all in one motion. Better yet, face unlock works in almost any orientation—even if you’re holding it upside down—and you can use it for secure payments and app authentication too.

The image below describes the hardware involved with all of the above, and answers the question on why Google ditched the notch and returned to the big old bezel. There are actually eight hardware components that Google needed to fit between the top edge and the display, and they are illustrated below.