It's a tale that feels as old as time itself; Samsung and Apple being in a constant battle to one-up each other to gain smartphone supremacy.

The latest rumour surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S9 suggests it will introduce facial recognition features not too dissimilar to the Face ID tech that debuted on the Apple iPhone X.

The rumour comes via Twitter tipster Ice Universe, who has leaked Samsung information ahead of launch before. The tweet simply states that the Galaxy S9 will use a "3D sensor front camera" but gives no indication as to how it will work.

Samsung already has iris scanning technology in the Galaxy S8 and Note 8, so it's safe to assume the 3D sensor camera will add an extra layer to the security.

If true, and if the camera works in a similar way to the iPhone X, the Galaxy S9 front camera will be able to create a 3D depth-sensing map of your face to recognise it's you. It also shouldn't matter if you change your hairstyle or wear glasses for example and the camera may also be able to 'see you' in low-light conditions.

Of course, with the iPhone X, Apple completely ditched the Touch ID fingerprint sensor - and may do so on all future iPhones - so it's possible that Samsung may go down the same path if it implements facial recognition technology as the sole means of unlocking the Galaxy S9 and authenticating payments.

As with any rumour, this should be taken with a pinch of salt for now, but we expect the Galaxy S9 to be unveiled in March 2018 and we certainly expect there to be plenty more rumours between now and then.