There’s new evidence that the iPhone 7 (or whatever it’s called) could come with a ‘Force Touch ID’ button.
The report stems from analyst Cowen and Company, which claims that Apple is looking into replacing the physical home button on its next smartphone with a capacitive alternative.
According to the analyst firm’s research (via Business Insider), Apple would utilise the Force Touch screen technology implemented in the iPhone 6S to enable pressure sensitivity and haptic (or Taptic, to use Apple’s nomenclature) feedback for a virtual equivalent. The resulting ‘button’, obviously, would sit flush with the display.
It’s nothing new to hear rumours of Apple doing away with the iPhone’s physical home button. But until recently the consensus seemed to be that such a major design change would be reserved for next year’s model.
All signs were pointing to a radical redesign for 2017’s iPhone 8, with this year’s iPhone 7 set to be a relatively modest overhaul of the iPhone 6 design. That still seems set to be the case, but the iPhone 7 could well have this additional design flourish.
Related: iPhone SE review
It’s not just the aforementioned analyst that’s offering this rumour either. In recent days, a source of 9to5Mac has claimed a similar thing.
Other rumours suggest that the iPhone 7 (or at least one model) could do away with the headphone jack, and that it (or at least one model) could sport a dual-lens camera.
Would you be happy with a home buttonless iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.
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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.
