Facial recognition smart locks: surprisingly good, but not without trade-offs
Facial recognition is making its way into smart locks, offering hands-free convenience. Testing four models, the Eufy FamiLock E40 proved fastest and most feature-rich, though it has a short battery life and a high price tag.
Smart locks with facial recognition are becoming more common, allowing users to unlock doors without touching anything. These devices use infrared sensors to create a 3D map of the face, making them resistant to photo spoofing. The Verge tested four models currently on the market: the Eufy FamiLock E40 ($300), Lockly Visage Zeno ($350), Lockin Veno Solar Face ($199), and SwitchBot Lock Vision Pro ($230).
The best performer is the Eufy FamiLock E40, which recognizes faces in under a second and works even with sunglasses. It also features a fingerprint reader, keypad, physical key, and a 2K video doorbell with no subscription fees. It supports Matter for smart home integration. Downsides include its large size, high cost, and rapid battery drain—it lost 40% charge in a week of testing. Full recharge takes nine hours.
The Lockly Visage Zeno stands out as the only lock supporting Apple Home Key alongside facial recognition. Its battery lasts up to nine months and includes a spare, but unlocking is slower (around two seconds). It struggles with sunglasses and has a fiddly keypad that shuffles digits for privacy. It is the most expensive model.
Budget options include the Lockin Veno Solar Face, with a built-in solar panel but slower recognition and an animated emoji on the door. The SwitchBot Lock Vision Pro was the worst: slow, with phantom voice alerts warning of nonexistent people.
The reviewer notes that while facial recognition works well, it may be overkill for most users. She personally prefers UWB (ultrawideband) technology for even faster unlocking, but UWB locks are currently expensive and scarce. All tested locks store facial data locally, enhancing privacy.
