This week, Cowen and Company’s Timothy Arcuri predicted that Apple’s next handset will use a new front-facing laser-based facial recognition feature, and now we’re hearing more about the mooted technology.
Sometimes right, sometimes wrong KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) has predicted Apple will add upgraded sensors, including several new biometrics technologies, to its iPhone range.
Specifically, Kuo predicts Apple will add the facial recognition tech alongside a new optical fingerprint sensor which will take the place of the current Touch ID capacitive fingerprint sensor, though the report does not reference the iPhone 8 directly.
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This will allow the company to integrate the sensor into the display, which leaves Apple free to increase the size of the screen and reduce the size of the bezels – a design feature which is heavily rumoured to appear on the iPhone 8.
The new KGI report states the ‘under glass’ design of current fingerprint scanners aren’t compatible with the kind of full-face display thought to be included on the iPhone 8.
This new optical sensor will apparently be an ‘under panel’ system, which won’t use the capacitive tech provided by AuthenTec, which Apple purchased in 2013.
However, KGI says the optical replacement is still in the early development stages, which casts doubt over its debut on the iPhone 8 – expected to arrive later this year.
Related: iPhone 8 – What we know
That said, nearly every rumour we’ve heard has suggested Apple is planning to do away with the home button on its next handset, which seems to imply the company will indeed debut a new fingerprint scanning technology on the iPhone 8.
And when it comes to the facial recognition, KGI echoes Arcuri’s prediction of full-face recognition technology, and further states that it expects Apple to work towards using this type of scanning tech as the only way for users to unlock their phones, though a timeline is unclear.
Again, the report doesn’t say outright that any of these predicted new features will debut on the iPhone 8, and the information contained in the report is just that: a series of predictions.
WATCH: iPhone 8
Let us know what you think of the report in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
