Ming Chi Kuo: No In-Display TouchID this year again!
Many reliable Apple analysts and leakers were claiming that Apple will add in-display TouchID at least on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. TouchID would act as an alternative biometric authentication method to FaceID that would make unlocking your iPhone more convenient while wearing a mask during the pandemic.
Ming Chi Kuo is now disrupting our expectations over the potential features of this year’s iPhone lineup. According to the reliable Apple analyst, Apple considers introducing in-display TouchID next year with the 2022 iPhone lineup. Adding TouchID on the iPhone isn’t certain even for next year. This practically, means that it is highly unlikely to see this feature debuting with the 2021 iPhone lineup.
Even though TouchID is considered to be a less secure authentication method, unlocking your iPhone with your Apple Watch is definitely a more practical approach by Apple rather than a highly secure implementation. Unlocking your iPhone with your Apple Watch works in a very simplistic way:
Users wear and passcode-unlock their Apple Watch
Users swipe up to unlock their iPhone; then FaceID detects a face (any face) wearing a mask
Apple Watch unlocks the iPhone
Android users are enjoying this on most Android flagships with no important security issues deriving from the use of in-display fingerprint sensors.
Elaborating further, we would like to highlight that this feature was introduced in the Android ecosystem in 2018. Android OEMs are using this authentication method heavily ever since. In-display technology has also been drastically improved both in terms of reliability and in terms of speed. In-display or under display is evolving dramatically since 2018 with Samsung being ready to introduce its 2021 foldable lineup with under-display cameras. On the contrary, Apple will just use a smaller notch which will come as a result of a repositioning and re-engineering of the FaceID array of sensors.
An alternative to this method could be the addition of TouchID on the iPhone’s power button, which would be similar to what happens with the 2020 iPad Air. Unlocking the iPhone with FaceID while wearing a mask is currently either a pain or a mediocre solution from security stand-point.
What’s your opinion regarding in-display TouchID? Should Apple bring TouchID back in this new form?
