Apple iPhone 8 will be ditching the Touch ID feature, according to a new report. (Source: AP)
Apple iPhone 8 will be ditching one important feature: TouchID, and if you go by the latest report this part is officially cancelled. Well-known Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo of KGI Securities has written this in a note to investors, and given that in the past Kuo has got his Apple predictions spot on, this latest report can’t be dismissed so easily.
According to AppleInsider, which obtained a copy of the note, Apple has “cancelled” the idea of embedding the Touch ID fingerprint scanner under the display of the Apple iPhone 8. Kuo’s note says Apple will go for a “two-step fingerprint and facial recognition system.” The 3D facial recognition system is something Kuo had himself reported earlier. Another report from Bloomberg by Mark Gurman had given out details on this upcoming feature on the iPhone 8.
The Bloomberg report had said the iPhone will be able would recognise faces, even when lying flat on a surface to unlock the device. Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S8+ already have a facial recognition feature for unlocking the device. Kuo had in the past indicated that in order to embed the Touch ID under the display, the OLED panel technology would need to improved drastically which has not happened so far.
Kuo’s latest note also indicates the idea of a fingerprint scanner under the display might not be available even with the Samsung Galaxy S9, and we could only see this with the Samsung Note 9.
We already know the Apple iPhone 8 will have a bezel-less display, similar to the Galaxy S8 series and no home button on the front. The design was confirmed thanks to the firmware for HomePod by developer Steve Troughton Smith. He discovered references to the iPhone design and face detection technology in the firmware for the Apple HomePod.
Also read: Apple HomePod firmware reveals iPhone 8’s facial recognition feature, bezel-less design
So far it looks like with the iPhone 8, Apple might just be giving up on one of the most important features of the device. iPhone 8 will launch in September along with the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. Earlier tipster Sonny Dickson shared dummy models of the upcoming iPhone 7S Plus smartphone with 9to5Mac. The leaked images indicate an all-glass back for the iPhone 7s series, unlike the aluminium chassis that has been reported so far.
Reports have also indicated iPhone 8 will be capable of shooting 4K videos at 60 frames per second. This could also be the most expensive iPhone yet, starting at $1000. Apple iPhone 8 will mark the tenth anniversary of the iPhone since its original launch in 2007.
