iPhone 8 will use a new optical fingerprint sensor technology as an alternate to the current Touch ID, according to a report from Economic Daily News, via Digitimes. The iPhone 8 users will be required to simply put their finger directly on the OLED display and the phone will scan and verify the identity, as an elegant replacement for the current Touch ID integrated within the physical home button.
In line with many other sources, the report claims that Apple will switch to 18.5:9 screen aspect ratio from the 16:9 on the iPhone 7. Camera enhancements and augmented reality featured will also be added, thanks to the ‘invisible’ infrared sensors. The report suggests that Apple’s supplier, TSMC discussed these iPhone 8 features at a Taipei Symposium.
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 is expected to bring radical design changes and hardware improvements as well. It is widely expected to come in an edge-to-edge OLED display, front and back made of glass, and a stainless steel chassis. The OLED display will be 5.8-inch diagonally while keeping the overall phone size not much bigger than the current 4.7-inch iPhone 7, thanks to a bezel-free design with the screen covering the whole front of the device.
The fingerprint sensor is the one feature that rumors and reports are yet to be settled upon. Over the last few months, we have heard rumors and reports about a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button, a fingerprint sensor on the back side of the iPhone 8, and community’s most favorite idea of a Touch ID integrated within the display.
The latest report from Economic Daily News is vouching for the most elegant solution for the fingerprint sensor. Users would simply put their finger on a virtual home button drawn on the display and then the optical scanner would authenticate the fingerprint.
In a previous report from trusted Ming-Chi Kuo of the KGI Securities, Apple is expected to use infrared depth-sensing technology in iPhone 8’s front-facing camera for facial recognition, an alternative way to unlock the device. The report claims that the details come straight from TSMC, one of Apple’s prime suppliers, that the company shared during a conference. TSMC is responsible for supplying A11 chips and it’s unlikely of Apple to share such details with its suppliers.
Apple is expected to launch its 10th-anniversary edition iPhone 8 later this year. With iPhone 8’s premium features, comes a premium price tag which is expected to be higher than the current iPhone models. Other than the iPhone 8, the company is also expected to launch ‘s’ iterations of iPhone 7 this Fall.