A lot of people complain that Face ID doesn't work when they wear skiing gear or a mask. I'd argue that most humans can't identify me when I wear a mask, so it's a bit hard to expect my phone to do better.

I do prefer Face ID for almost everything except payments. Apple pay with Touch ID was a much better experience. The awkward double tap + stare at my phone for 2 seconds isn't great. Having an Apple Watch makes this much better but I do miss placing my phone near the reader and putting my finger on the sensor.

If you tap the screen right away when the face ID icon appears you can enter your PIN right away. I am not sure if this works everywhere, but it does at least work when unlocking your phone.

Found this out when I (recently) went to Asia and was wearing facemasks all the time too. :)

I haven't tested it but people have had success with adding an "alternative appearance" in the FaceID settings and having it scan your face with half of it covered by a mask. Here is an article with pictures describing the process:

https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/08/iphone-how-to-use-face-id-wit...

FaceID is better than front or in-screen fingerprint readers but I greatly prefer fingerprint readers on the back of the phone. It's right where your finger naturally rests when taking the phone out of your pocket so the phone is unlocked before it even leaves your pocket. Plus you can pull down the notification bar with it one-handed without having to awkwardly stretch to reach it on large devices.