Eufy FamiLock E40 Wins Face Unlock Speed Test
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- Eufy FamiLock E40 won The Verge's face-unlock speed test, registering its owner in under a second — the fastest of four locks tested and the only one that consistently worked with sunglasses.
- Eufy FamiLock E40 ($300) supports Matter-over-Wi-Fi and doubles as a subscription-free 2K video doorbell, but its battery drained 40% in a week of testing and takes 9 hours to fully recharge.
- Lockly Visage Zeno ($350) was the only lock tested that pairs facial recognition with Apple Home Key, lasting roughly nine months on a charge with a spare battery included, but it's the most expensive and its PIN Genie keypad shuffles digits every use.
- Switchbot Lock Vision Pro ($230) finished last, with glacially slow face unlock and phantom voice alerts that told the reviewer to 'stand closer to the door' while she sat alone in her living room, with no one actually there.
- Lockin Veno Solar Face ($199) features a built-in solar panel for extended battery life, but the reviewer singled out its animated dancing emoji — triggered on every unlock — as 'the worst addition I've ever seen on a smart lock.'
- All four tested locks claim to store and process facial biometrics locally rather than in the cloud, addressing one of the technology's main privacy objections.
Why it matters: The $300 Eufy FamiLock E40 delivers the fastest face unlock and the only one that works reliably with sunglasses, while Apple Home Key buyers have just one option — the $350 Lockly Visage Zeno. Cheaper Lockin ($199) and SwitchBot ($230) alternatives underperform on speed and reliability, and the $300+ price floor keeps keypads and fingerprint readers as the better value for most buyers.
