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EXCLUSIVE: 2017's Pixel 2 with an iris scanner that didn't make it to market

When designing the Pixel 2, Google tried an iris recognition biometric identifier. The solution didn't end up on the market, but thanks to a prototype, you can now see what the phone would look like with it.

With the exception of the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, Google phones can only use a fingerprint scanner for biometric identification. Thanks is Internal File For Twitter, it turned out that it wasn't always the case as planned, Google already tried to include an iris scanner when designing the second Pixel phone.

In the end, nothing came of it, but the prototype clearly shows the IR LED and front camera with an IR filter — which takes the place of the Pixel 2's selfie camera — and also some photos of the ID software.

Google introduced the Pixel 2 and 2 XL in 2017, when the Fujitsu Arrows NX F-04G, which debuted in Japan in 2015, was already on the market. But the Microsoft Lumia 950, Samsung Galaxy S8s and the short-lived Galaxy Note7 were also sold globally, all equipped with an iris scanner.

At the same time, this type of biometric identification has not become a trend, in the Android world, fingerprint authentication and 2D facial recognition using the front camera are the most common. This is because the iris scanners built into phones required extra hardware and were slower and less reliable than fingerprint scanners.

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