It Looks Like Apple’s Touch ID Could Make a Comeback
In the land of iPhones and iPads, what's old is new again.
Credit: Tom's Guide
Apple is considering whether to bring back its Touch ID to the iPad and iPhone, Patently Apple is reporting, citing reports out of Taiwan. However, rather than offer a physical Touch ID sensor in those devices, Apple is instead planning to bring an in-display Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the devices, according to the report.
Apple is currently evaluating in-display fingerprint sensors from three suppliers — O-film, General Interface Solution, and TPK Holding — the report says. If all goes well, Apple would first bring the sensors to its iPads and then turn around and offer them in its iPhones.
According to the report, which was earlier cited by Forbes, Apple wants to specifically offer the new Touch ID on its iPad and iPad Mini devices. The company believes that Face ID would be too expensive to bundle in those products, but still wants to streamline their designs with thinner bezels. Offering Touch ID instead of Face ID might be a way to do that.
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Still, there are some questions here. The biggest, of course, is that Apple has been touting Face ID as the successor to Touch ID with a faster response time and more reliable performance. Apple has also been quick to note that Face ID is far more secure.
That said, Samsung is expected to bring an in-display fingerprint sensor to its upcoming Galaxy S10 in early 2019. And considering many people still prefer the fingerprint sensor to the face sensor, there's a chance that some folks might respond favorably to Apple keeping pace.
Interestingly, the report says that the suppliers Apple is evaluating are the same suppliers Samsung is relying on for its in-display fingerprint sensor. It's possible, then, that the same sensors you'd find in Galaxy S10 could be making their way to future Apple products.
But like anything else in Apple's universe, take this one with the proverbial grain of salt. Apple's next iPads and iPhones are still months away from launch and quite a bit can change in that time.
