How Many Ways Might iPhone X's Face ID Go Wrong?

When Apple unveiled its iPhone X on Tuesday, officials highlighted the device's advanced functionality, including what truly could be a game changing feature, its facial recognition technology.

The new handset, which will sell for a whopping US$1,000, allows users to unlock it simply by looking at it.

The 10th anniversary edition of Apple's flagship mobile device is the first Apple handset to utilize Face ID, which works by scanning an owner's face via an array of cameras. Apple touted it as more secure than passwords or even the fingerprint sensor that was introduced into its iPhone 5s back in 2013.

Back in 2011, Google introduced a similar facial recognition technology with the Android 4.0 operating system -- dubbed "Face Unlock" -- but it hasn't taken the world by storm.

During Tuesday's unveiling of the device, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, declared that nothing was more secure or as simple to use as Face ID.

That didn't appear to be the case during the actual reveal of the technology, however. Face ID's debut was underwhelming, as it failed to work as promised during an onstage demonstration on Tuesday.

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, initially was unable to get the technology to recognize him. Apple later said the glitch was due to another individual having handled the device prior to handing it over to Federighi.