An ostensibly leaked design image for the forthcoming iPhone 12 suggests that Apple is sticking with biometric facial recognition for its main line of smartphones, even if its latest device uses fingerprint scanning instead.

The image comes by way of Jon Prosser, a leaker who previously forecasted the date of the launch of the iPhone SE, citing information from an internal Apple meeting. His latest leak appears to be a design schematic that indicates that the iPhone 12 – expected to launch later this year – will feature a notch at the top of its screen to house the various sensor components needed for Face ID, Apple’s pioneering 3D facial recognition system. The notch will be smaller than those of previous iPhone models.

The leak comes the week after the launch of the new iPhone SE, which brought the return of Apple’s fingerprint-scanning Touch ID system. Touch ID was the flagship authentication mechanism of the iPhone for several years, until the launch of the iPhone X in late 2017 marked Apple’s pivot to facial recognition, which would become the sole biometric authentication mechanism on all future iPhone devices until the arrival of the iPhone SE.

Apple’s return to fingerprint biometrics on its latest device is likely the result of cost considerations. The iPhone SE is chiefly promoted as a budget-friendly iPhone, and it’s widely thought that the sophisticated sensors needed for Apple’s Face ID system would have driven up the device’s price considerably.

The return of Face ID on Apple’s next flagship smartphone therefore won’t come as a surprise.

Prosser also says that Apple is planning the launch of several other new products across its various lines “into 2021,” including new MacBook laptops, iMac computers, iPad tablets, AirPods, and Apple Watches, among other devices.

Source: iPhone in Canada