iPhone 8 Iris Scanner Confirmed? Industry Sources Claim Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s Advanced Feature Coming To Apple’s Next Flagship Phone

Apple could be setting the bar high for its famous smartphone line with the launch of its 10th anniversary iPhone. Apart from the rumored redesign and specifications upgrade of the handset, there is now information claiming that iPhone 8 will come with an iris scanner — something Samsung attempted with its now canned Galaxy Note 7 phablet.

Taiwanese daily newspaper DigiTimes is back with an update from its so-called industry sources, who are said to be Apple supply chain insiders. According to the publication, the unnamed sources disclosed that the iPhone 8 will come with iris scanning technology. Should this be true, it’s clear that Apple has a big plan for its next-generation smartphone.

Adding an iris scanner on a smartphone only means one thing: advanced biometrics security. Just like what Samsung did with its Note 7’s iris scanner, the eye-examining feature would likely serve the purpose of authenticating the user’s identity. This sophisticated technology could then be used in unlocking the 10th anniversary iPhone or verifying Apple Pay transactions.

An iris scanner is more advanced than the fingerprint scanner, which has undeniably become ubiquitous among flagship devices on the market. For one thing, iris scanning is a more specific type of biometrics technology because each person’s iris has a complex and very unique pattern.

However, MacRumors pointed out the inconsistency in DigiTimes’ Apple coverage. The Apple-centric news site noted that this new report is contradicting the newspaper’s previous story on how Apple intends to introduce iris scanning capabilities to its iPhones in 2018. It is also worth noting that credible Apple insider and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple is more interested in developing facial recognition technology than iris scanning.

Given that these stories do not agree with each other and since Apple has never confirmed any of them, it is best for consumers to take everything with a pinch of salt for now. So far what’s really certain here is the fact that Apple’s is working on a new iPhone model that will be introduced to the public in September as the Cupertino giant's 10th anniversary iPhone.