iPhone 8 Rumors: Rear Touch ID Shown In Alleged Images Of Chassis

An alleged chassis shows the Touch ID on the back of the iPhone 8, images on Baidu found by Apple Insider show.

The photos show a metal chassis with a hole in the rear of the device below the Apple logo. The images revive previous rumors that suggest the iPhone 8 will come with a Touch ID on the back. The chassis also includes a hole for the iPhone 8’s rumored vertical dual-camera system.

However, the chassis might be an abandoned prototype, according to Apple Insider.

Read: iPhone 8 Release Date, Price: JPMorgan Says 'iPhone Pro' Will Launch On Time But Cost How Much?

Earlier this week, a set of CAD renders leaked online showed the iPhone 8 with a larger power button, suggesting it was made bigger to make room for the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Placing the fingerprint sensor there will allow the device to have its rumored bezel-less OLED display. The Touch ID on the power/wake button would be similar to Sony’s Xperia smartphones, which have the power button and fingerprint scanner on the side.

A recent report claims Apple is struggling with the fingerprint sensor.

“Apple continues to struggle with the workaround for the fingerprint sensor,” KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Andy Hargreaves reportedly said. “This increases the potential that the new OLED iPhone could be delayed, or ship without a fingerprint sensor, either of which could increase risk to unit sales and mix for the cycle.”

Hargreaves said Apple only has until August to place order for the device’s chips that powers the sensor. If the company misses the window, the iPhone 8 might not come with the Touch ID at all, the analyst said.

Read: iPhone 8 Release Date Delay: Analyst Says To Stop Worrying About Launch Rumors

Last month, Cowen and Co. analyst Timothy Arcuri said in a memo the embedded Touch ID feature is “still being worked out, ” and could delay the iPhone 8 launch date. Apple was supposed to have decided on three solutions for the Touch ID in June.

Arcuri had previously said in April Apple was having trouble with the embedded fingerprint technology. The analyst detailed three possible scenarios for Apple regarding the Touch ID. One solution was to ditch the Touch ID altogether and rely on facial recognition through its rumored 3D-sensing camera, or to delay the production of the iPhone 8, but still reveal it alongside the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. Another solution was to move the Touch ID to the back of the smartphone, like how it’s seen on the chassis images that were leaked.

The 10th anniversary device is rumored to come with an embedded Touch ID, a bezel-less screen, and a vertical dual-camera system. The iPhone 8, which could also be called the iPhone X, iPhone Pro or iPhone Edition, is expected to be priced at more than $1,000.