Sony is testing a 3D facial recognition feature for its Xperia devices

There are quite a few options available for unlocking your smartphone including using a PIN number or a fingerprint scanner. Then there’s the basic, 2D face recognition feature we have seen on quite a few smartphones, which isn’t exactly safe as it can be tricked with a photo.

Sony wants to improve on this technology and will reportedly show off a 3D facial recognition system on a Xperia smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Shanghai this week. The device uses a special 3D depth sensor from SoftKinect, a company owned by Sony, and a facial recognition software made by the Swiss-based KeyLemon.

Sony claims the new technology is much more secure compared to 2D face recognition. The company hasn’t announced when the first device with the 3D facial recognition system on board will be released, but hopefully, we’ll get more info on this topic in the next few days.

If it makes to market, the feature will likely make its debut on one of Sony’s flagship smartphones, which just might make them more appealing to users. Sony definitely needs to equip its devices with a few unique features, as the tech giant has been struggling to compete against bigger players in the market including Samsung.