The iPhone 5S will not only include a fingerprint scanner but advanced NFC technology within the home button as well.
According to a recently surfaced Apple patent, the iPhone 5S home button will be the showcase feature of the next Apple flagship.
The patent, discovered by PatentlyApple, states that the next iPhone will feature a fingerprint scanner within the home button, formed using a 2D array of electrodues to capture your fingerprint.
If the patent is correct, the iPhone 5S home button will have a metal ring around it, which will help differentiate it from the iPhone 5, but will also contain electrodes for fingerprint scanning.
Last week, an image of the iPhone 5S button leaked pointing to a fingerprint reader inclusion, and it featured the same metal outer ring mentioned in the patent. The report stated that “the sensors and flex cable bear a remarkably different design when compared to the iPhone 5 home button.”
Previous reports help support the rumours of a fingerprint scanner as well. Earlier this month, it was suggested that the iPhone 5S will feature a toughened convex home button with fingerprint scanner, made from Sapphire crystal. This material is only beaten in the toughness scale by diamond, and it is already used in the iPhone 5’s rear camera so it would be a sensible material choice for the iPhone 5S.
However, the latest patent states that the fingerprint scanner will be accompanied by advanced NFC technology. The button would have a dual functionality for fingerprint scanning and NFC connectivity via a combination of electrodes and optical structures.
The improved fingerprint scanner/NFC home button could also be used in the docking system outlined by a another part of the patent, which pairs using NFC when the iPhone 5S is slotted inside it.
The iPhone 5S is expected to launch at Apple’s event tomorrow, September 10, which starts at 6pm UK time.
Next, read our iPhone 5C roundup ahead of tomorrow’s event.
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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.
