iPhone 8 Tipped to Improve 3D Touch and Touch ID; Facial Recognition Also in the Offing

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 23 January 2017 18:43 IST

Highlights

iPhone 8 to have no Home Button
It is tipped to have improved 3D Touch
Facial recognition will also be introduced

iPhone 8 Tipped to Improve 3D Touch and Touch ID; Facial Recognition Also in the Offing

KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is back with his predictions for the iPhone 8, and his latest report focuses on the 3D Touch and Touch ID functionalities. The report claims that Apple will look to improve on both these features in its upcoming flagship device.

Kuo notes that because the iPhone 8 will have a 'wraparound' OLED display, it will render the current 3D Touch tech incompatible. Because of this, Apple will move to a 'film sensor' which will offer 'higher sensitivity and a wider range of 3D Touch pressure levels'.

Also seeApple iPhone 8 Specifications, Release Date, and More: The Rumours So Far

9to5Mac got hold of the KGI report that also claims that the new 3D Touch sensor will have a metal structure for support, as OLED displays are more fragile than LCD displays. How this is going to be embedded inside the phone, and how it will elevate the experience, remains to be seen.

Furthermore, Kuo also reveals that there will be major reforms with the Touch ID sensor, most likely it will be embedded underneath the display. The KGI report claims that Apple is developing an optical fingerprint sensor and facial recognition sensor, that will look to redefine security in future iPhone models.

Apple looks to abandon the current capacitive technology used for Touch ID, and move to an optical-type sensor. However, optical sensors are in their nascent stages, and Kuo doesn't think it will debut this year. In any case, he doesn't think the physical Home Button is reappearing, so some form of a fingerprint reader will be integrated underneath the display.

Furthermore, Apple is also working on facial recognition, and looks to eventually remove Touch ID completely, and allow users to unlock and authenticate just by using facial recognition. But that's way into the future, and for now, it only looks to introduce 'some form' of facial recognition this year.

Kuo previously had reported that the iPhone 8 will come with wireless charging, a feature that has been leaked on multiple occasions.

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