Seoul, Nov 29 (IANS): South Korean tech giant Samsung is likely to allow its users to use Bixby Voice as a biometric voice-unlock feature in the company's upcoming Galaxy S21 series.

According to a report from SamMobile, the Galaxy S21 series is expected to launch the running version 3.1 of One UI, just like the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10 ran One UI 2.1 and One UI 1.1 out of the box, respectively.

There will be a couple of new features that will be exclusive to the Galaxy S21 until One UI 3.1 is released for other Galaxy devices and one of those features will be the option to use Bixby Voice as a biometric method for unlocking the device.

The previous version allows users to unlock their device by saying "Hi Bixby", so there is a chance when it makes its return next year, users will be able to unlock their phone the same way.

Bixby itself has had the ability to unlock the device to follow your commands when you wake it up by saying 'Hi Bixby', and initially, it also offered the option to set a voice password for hands-free device unlocking.

Neither of those features can be found in Bixby anymore, but the report said that One UI 3.1 will let users select Bixby voice unlock from the phone's lock screen security settings.

However, the exact details of how it will work are unclear at this time.

Meanwhile, Samsung may launch the Galaxy S21 series in January 2021, with first sales tipping-off early February.

There may be three S21 models -- a standard, Plus and an Ultra.

The S21 will have a 6.2-inch display, the Plus will be 6.7 inches and the Ultra will reportedly have a 6.8-inch display, reports Android Police.

The Galaxy S21 will come in phantom violet, phantom gray, phantom white and phantom pink colours.

The Galaxy S21+ will be available in phantom silver, phantom black, and phantom violet while Galaxy S21 Ultra will only come in phantom silver and phantom black colours.

The base model Galaxy S21 will feature a plastic rear cover, while the S21 Ultra will use glass.