Apple could launch an iPhone in 2021 with both Face ID and in-display Touch ID.
Touch ID is not included in any of the current iPhone models.
Kuo has also predicted an in-display Touch ID to make its way to Apple Watch in the future.
Touch ID was on its way out in 2017 with the launch of iPhone X and while many maligned the loss of Touch ID, no iPhone today has the biometric sensor for fingerprint scanning. However, this could all change in 2021. A new report claims that Apple could resurrect Touch ID in a 2021 iPhone model, but in a modern and tactile way.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst, Apple could release an iPhone in 2021 featuring both Face ID and Touch ID. However, instead of building a fingerprint sensor into Apple’s now-obsolete Home button, Kuo says Apple could embed a fingerprint sensor into the iPhone’s display.
Kuo’s prediction is based on Apple’s latest patents related to fingerprint on display (FOD) technology. The tech is being used in current Android smartphones, and Apple has never been the first one to implement a new feature. Hence, these predictions might turn out to be true.
Kuo told 9To5Mac, “over the next 18 months, a lot of technical issues will be resolved which will enable Apple to deliver the high-tier experience it strives for in its devices.” He also claims that the future Touch ID could be on one of Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint readers, which are similar to what Samsung uses in the Galaxy S10.
Furthermore, Kuo says, issues such as the size of the sensing area, power consumption, the thickness of the module, and low production yields of ultrasonic sensors are why Apple hasn’t incorporated the tech into current iPhone models. However, these issues are expected to be fixed by 2021.
Kuo has made another prediction for the future of the Apple Watch. He says that the development of in-display fingerprint sensor makes it “more likely” for Touch ID to make its way into the Apple Watch as opposed to a camera-based Face ID biometrics.
Moreover, there have been reports that 2020 iPhones could support 5G.
However, it should be noted that these are just predictions based on Apple’s current patents.
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