Apple Out Of Touch With Fingerprint Sensors

Rumors for the upcoming iPhone 8 have been ping-ponging back and forth between two possible concepts for a while now, centered around where Apple is placing the Touch ID fingerprint sensor for its next major smartphone.

Given that the device is said to have a full, bezel-less design similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S8, there are two schools of thought. One says that Apple will follow conventional logic and simply place the fingerprint reader on the back of the device, and the other that claims that Apple has will integrate the reader directly into the OLED display.

While the second option is certainly the more intriguing one, a new report from KGI’s well known and oft-reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) claims that while rumors of the new OLED iPhone featuring a full-screen bezel-less design are true, the device will feature a virtual home button without an integrated fingerprint sensor, just like the Galaxy S8. That said, Kuo’s report apparently doesn’t clarify whether or not the fingerprint sensor will just be entirely removed (as other rumors have suggested) or placed on the back of the device.

It’s also worth noting that reports on the integrated fingerprint reader are directly conflicting. A Digitimes report citing sources in Apple’s supply chain at the end of May stated that Apple was including the built-in sensor. Ultimately, it’s hard to say at this point what the iPhone 8 will look like, but until Apple decides to shed some light on the situation, just be aware that there are multiple possibilities.