If you’re a fan of Touch ID on your iPhone, there’s a chance that it’ll be embedded under the display in a next-gen iPhone.
Apple has arranged for a representative to meet with Taiwanese touchscreen-related manufacturer GIS next week to discuss development of an iPhone with an under-display fingerprint scanner for release as early as next year.
The reports indicate that Apple plans to use Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensor technology in at least one iPhone model that could be released in either 2020 or 2021. GIS would cooperate with Qualcomm to supply necessary components.
This lines up with other rumors that have stated that Apple is looking to release an iPhone with both Face ID and under-display fingerprint authentication in 2020 or 2021.
There are currently two types of under-display fingerprint sensors, including optical and ultrasonic. Optical variants rely on light from a smartphone’s display to create a 2D image of a fingerprint, while ultrasonic variants make use of high-frequency sound to generate a 3D image of a fingerprint.
Qualcomm currently supplies ultrasonic fingerprint sensors for Samsung’s Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note10 smartphones, although Apple’s handsets could use more advanced versions of the technology by either 2020 or 2021.
During a closed-door briefing at the 2019 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Qualcomm director Gordon Thomas reportedly indicated that Qualcomm plans to create even larger under-display fingerprint sensors than the one used in Samsung’s latest smartphones, with an eventual goal of developing a sensor that works across virtually the entire display.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.