Apple Won't Bring In-Display Fingerprint Sensors To iPhones Anytime Soon

In-display fingerprint scanners are slowly being adopted by Android phone makers and it’s expected that more handsets with the advanced biometric technology will be on the way next year. However, Apple may not be taking the same route with its iPhones because an analyst expects the tech giant to stick to its Face ID facial recognition technology.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says in his new research note that Fingerprint On Display (FOD) technology will grow 500 percent in 2019 as more Android phone makers will use it on their respective handsets, AppleInsider has learned. However, Kuo also thinks that Apple won’t be doing the same next year for its 2019 iPhones.

Kuo believes that Apple’s Face ID technology is already serving the iPhones well, which is why it has decided to leave Touch ID behind on its new iPhones. The 2018 iPhones, rumored to be called the iPhone XS and XS Plus, are both expected to arrive with Face ID. There are currently no rumors circulating that either of them would have an in-display Touch ID sensor.

Kuo also believes that Android phones will become the testbed for improving FOD technology, as pointed out by 9To5Mac. Currently, FOD technology can only work on smartphones that have been outfitted with high-end OLED screens, which is seen as one of the technology’s limiting factors. However, that is slowly changing and adoption of the technology is expected to accelerate moving forward.

Kuo claims that the last stage in FOD technology adoption would be whole-screen sensing. Currently, Android smartphones that do have FOD technology are only able to work when users touch a specific part of the screen.

Although Kuo believes that the 2019 iPhones won’t adopt in-display fingerprint sensors, the analyst declined to speculate on what Apple’s plans are beyond next year. Touch ID could return at some point in the future, but it’s very likely Apple would only do so if it sees that it can provide the best user experience. Kuo adds that FOD technology will be the key differentiator between Android phones and iPhones.

Kuo also predicts that the Samsung Galaxy S10 will have an in-display fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy S10 has been rumored for some time now and Kuo says that the Samsung 2019 flagship will launch during the first quarter of the year. A popular rumor that’s making rounds right now is that Samsung might announce the Galaxy S10 in February during Mobile World Congress 2019.