Panasonic  uses infra red to unlock your face in the dark
Bangalore, October 15 2018: Notch displays  are the new rage in smartphones. From tiny blips to teardrop-shaped notches to wide rectangles, this 2018 display trend in smartphones has trickled from flagship to entry level device. Till now, the objective has been to increase screen size, or screen-to-body ratio. This enhancement is finally doing something more sensible -- enhancing the AI on the device.
The recently launched Eluga X1 and X1 pro devices from Panasonic,  pack in three things inside the notch: a special IR camera and an IR LED along with the 16 MP front camera lens. This allows Panasonic to provide the IR face unlock capability which recognizes your face even in complete darkness. Like those snipers in James Bond movies, the IR LED fires up an invisible ray that helps unlock the device, quite creepily in the dead of the night. We tried this feature and it does make sense since you don't  want to fumble for keys and numbers while you're in bed!
The X1 and X1 pro are powered by the MediaTek Helio P60 processor and come  in a 16 MP + 5 MP rear  and 16 MP front camera configuration. Panasonic, was one of the first companies to introduce an AI-driven capability, it calls Arbo,   which analyses your daily phone activity and optimizes the device after understanding which apps you fire up at what time of the day. The X1 and X1 pro introduces an Arbo Hub,  a one-stop shop for apps that you might be regularly using -- to make taxi booking, ordering food deliveries etc. Arno will recommend these apps after understanding your usage pattern.  
The X1 and the X1 Pro come in 4 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 128 GB memory configurations respectively, while the X1 Pro comes with wireless charging  capabilities. The devices are priced Rs. 22990 and Rs. 26990 respectively.   VISHNU ANAND