The facial recognition technology equipped in Samsung Electronics Co.'s new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, will not be sufficient to guarantee the phones' security, industry sources said Friday.

"The phones can be unlocked by the face of a sleeping person, or even just by a photo," an industry watcher said. "For now, the facial recognition technology is only intended for fun. It should not be considered as a foolproof security measure."

Samsung Electronics showcased the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus this week, which come with top-notch technologies, including Bixby, an artificial intelligence program that can interact with the owner and adds another layer of convenience.

The phone also boasts fingerprint and iris screening, along with the facial recognition.

LG Electronics Inc.'s flagship G6 also has facial recognition as one feature provided by Android's Smart Lock.

LG, however, did not promote the program, as the technology is not a unique feature of the G6 smartphone. (Yonhap)