If you’re one of the iPhone lovers praying for the return of the Touch ID fingerprint sensors alongside Face ID, then the evidence is certainly mounting in your favour.
A new report from the Economic Daily News in Taiwan adds to the growing number of sources pointing to a comeback for the biometric security tech within Apple’s 2020 flagships.
The source (via MacRumors) says Apple has designs on using Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensor within at least one of its next-gen iPhone 12 handsets, due out next autumn.
According to the report, Apple is sending a representative to discuss the development of the tech with Taiwanese manufacturer GIS, who would then collaborate with Qualcomm on making the tech a reality.
Related: iPhone 12 (2020) – 5 things we’re hoping for
Qualcomm already provides the ultrasonic fingerprint sensors for Samsung’s Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 series of smartphones. Ultrasonic is the more secure form of the tech, compared to its optical counterpart, because of the way it uses high-frequency sound in order to make a 3D image of the user’s fingerprint.
Previous reports from Bloomberg, plus notes from analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo and others from Barclays have suggested Apple is looking to bring back a more secure version of the tech back to iPhone handsets
The report does say Apple could push the inclusion of the tech to the 2021 iPhones rather than next-year’s models. If an analyst’s note to investors is to be believed, that could be in early 2021 rather than the usual annual release schedule.
The well-known JP Morgan tipster Samik Chatterjee believes Apple is moving to a bi-annual release schedule with two handsets arriving in the spring and another pair in the autumn.
We could see Touch ID return before that in its original form before then, also, if the iPhone SE 2 arrives as expected early next year.
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.
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.
