Apple iPhone 8 Rumors: No Touch ID but All-Screen Design, Face Recognition Confirmed?

By Erik Pineda
The iPhone 8 as visualized by concept designer Benjamin Geskin
The iPhone 8 as visualized by concept designer Benjamin Geskin Benjamin Geskin via iDropNEWS

The Touch ID that was introduced with the iPhone 5S will be no more in time for the iPhone 8 release date this 2017. New reports indicated Apple's radically redesigned flagship phone will ditch the fingerprint sensor in favor of another biometric feature - facial recognition.

According to reputed Apple watcher Ming-chi Kuo, the iPhone 8 with OLED display panel will not include a fingerprint reader. "The OLED model won't support fingerprint recognition," the analyst said, adding the handset's all-screen design will be unable to support "existing capacitive fingerprint recognition."

Kuo added the rumored under-the-glass fingerprint solution for the iPhone 8 is unlikely to be deployed, saying the technology is still dealing with "technical challenges."

The forecast made by Kuo was supported by Bloomberg in a report. The publication said instead of Touch ID "Apple is testing an improved security system that allows users to log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their face." The feature will be powered by 3D sensor or the ProMotion display technology that Apple has introduced with the iPad Pro line.

In the actual implementation, the iPhone 8 front camera will have 3D depth sensing capabilities that not only will permit facial recognition but also will make for optimized selfie images. And as mentioned above, the axing of Touch ID practically confirmed that the device will boast of nearly bezel-free front display.

In a related report, 9to5Mac said the iPhone 8 "will feature the highest screen-to-body ratio of any phone on the market," and this will be made possible by re-engineering the device screen with a virtual home button and use of a "notch" at the top of the screen.

As seen in leaked renders, the notch appears a screen cutout to accommodate the front camera sensor and earpiece. Except for this, the iPhone 8 is virtually all-screen with a massive 5.8-inch display panel. But according to Kuo, the usable screen area of the device will be restricted to 5.2-inch as the balance will be reserved as "function area," where presumably the home key and other virtual control buttons will be located.

In the same research note Kuo has provided, he reiterated his earlier prediction that Apple intends to roll out three new models - the iPhone 8 and the refresh to the last year's models that he called iPhone 7S series. The latter, the analyst maintained, will mostly mirror the industrial design that was in use since the iPhone 6 intro.

But inside of the handsets, the specs bumps will be notable. The basic storage will start at 64GB and the next configuration will be set at 256GB. It is expected that all the handset models will be fired by the 10-nanometer A11 chip, which Kuo will be tapped on 3GB of RAM support for both the iPhone 8 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7S Plus. However, the installed RAM on the 4.7-inch iPhone 7S will remain at 2GB.

The KGI report also claimed quick charging, delivered via the USB-C power circuit embedded with the Lightning port, and wireless charging will be part of the next iPhone package and the bump up will be across the board. But wire-free recharging will only be possible through a charging pad that Kuo said Apple will offer as a separate purchase.

There was no launching timing mentioned in the report but Kuo has earlier maintained that due to production and component supply issues, the next iPhone delivery could be delayed. That could mean the iPhone 8 release date is not happening until October or November 2017 although the iPhone 7S series is likely to hit the market earlier.

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