No iPhone 8 Touch ID?
On Monday, KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo offered 10 predictions about Apple’s 2017 iPhone lineup. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news.
According to the analyst, and as been long-rumored, there will be three new Apple handsets announced this fall, including the all-new OLED 5.8-inch “iPhone 8,” 4.7-inch “iPhone 7s,” and 5.5-inch “iPhone 7s Plus.” The iPhone 8 will feature the highest screen-to-body ratio of any smartphone on the market thanks to a “notch” at the top of the screen and a virtual Home button.
Kuo doesn’t believe the virtual Home button will support fingerprint recognition. Instead, the iPhone will include 3-D sensing for facial recognition and “improved selfie quality.”
Other notable predictions include:
- OLED iPhone & 5.5” LCD iPhone will both come with DRAM capacity of 3GB (for dual-camera requirements), while 4.7” version will only use 2GB DRAM (for only single camera).
- Three new models will all come with 64GB and 256GB storage options.
- We predict October-November & August-September as production ramp-up schedules of OLED iPhone & LCD iPhone, respectively. “For optimized promotional effect, we think Apple may unveil the three models simultaneously in September, though the launch date of the OLED version may trail that of LCD models, and supply tightness may not improve before 1H18.”
Kuo is one of the best Apple analysts in the business. Still, I can’t imagine Apple shipping the iPhone 8 without Touch ID. Possible proof: In iOS 11, App Store purchases now look identical to Touch ID purchases made elsewhere, as the following screenshot shows:
We should know soon enough. Apple could unveil the company’s 2017 iPhone lineup as early as Sept. 5. Until then, let the guessing game continue …
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