Next iPhone Will Have In-Display Fingerprint Sensor, Facial and Gesture Recognition: Report

The next iPhone is going to have some sophisticated biometric technologies, according to a new report from the Cowen and Company investment firm.

As Business Insider reports, the investment firm cites its own “field work” studying Apple’s supply chain in asserting that the iPhone 8 will feature “some form of facial/gesture recognition supported by a new laser sensor and an infrared sensor mounted near the front-facing camera”. Given Apple’s investments in facial recognition technologies via startup acquisitions, its integration of such technology into the next iPhone would make sense; meanwhile, if it is exploring a form of gesture recognition, that could help it to compete with Google’s efforts to establish a passive authentication system for Android devices.

But Apple is also taking another technological leap in biometrics for its next iPhone: According to Cowen and Company, at least one model of the new device will bring Touch ID fingerprint scanning “under the glass and in the active display area.” This would represent the realization of speculation that has been bubbling for some time, and a major accomplishment in the industry — given that companies like Huawei and FPC are only just starting to bring under-glass sensors to market, and they have not yet been incorporated into device displays.

Other new features of the next iPhone include wireless charging and, for the biggest, 5.8″ model of the new device, an OLED screen. And, of course, none of this has been confirmed by Apple.

Source: Business Insider