New HONOR 7X OTA update adds Face Unlock and more (Updated)

Update – Jan. 30: According to The Android Soul, the promised major OTA update for the HONOR 7X has started to roll out, beginning with Chinese devices with model number AL10. This adds the Face Unlock feature, which you can enable by going to the phone’s Settings menu, tapping on Security and Privacy, and then finally tapping on Face Unlock.

The OTA update also includes an AR lens, which will add effects and change the background for the HONOR 7X’s front-facing camera. To launch it, go to the Camera app, tap on Modes, and finally AR Lens. The update also introduces a setting that can hide the contents of notifications that show up on the phone’s lock screen. Finally, the update delivers the January 2018 Android security patches. Keep in mind this is just for the Chinese version of the HONOR 7X, but the other models should receive the same update over the next several weeks.

Original story – Jan. 9: Though HUAWEI might have received a big blow with regards to US plans recently, its sub-brand HONOR seems to be chugging along nicely. In a press release issued yesterday (via GSMArena), HONOR has said that the latest in its low-cost X line, the HONOR 7X, will soon receive facial recognition and unlocking functionality.

HONOR says this will be the first time that such a function has been seen on a global device with a sub-$200 price tag, adding that the update would arrive in Q1, 2018.

Face unlock became popularized last year with devices like the iPhone X and OnePlus 5T. It’s said to be a fast and secure method of unlocking a device.

The news arrives only shortly after HONOR announced the Red 7X (seen above) at CES, a “passionate” new color variant arriving in time for Valentine’s Day. Check out our hands-on with the new device, including video, at the link.