Apple is bringing Touch ID back to the 2021 iPhone range

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The source of all things Apple-related, Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities, has some interesting predictions for the 2021 Apple iPhone range. The biggest of these is that Touch ID will return to the iPhone, via an in-screen fingerprint reader.

The return of Touch ID doesn’t mean that Face ID is going away, rather that Kuo believes the two will work in tandem to provide superior security.

In-screen Touch ID might be turning up on the 2021 iPhones

Currently, Apple is having difficulties with the in-display fingerprint tech. Power consumption, the thickness of the sensing units, the small surface area of those units, and production issues with yield are all being worked on, with Kuo feeling that Apple will put its finger on all the issues in the next 18 months.

That’s in time for the 2021 iPhones, in case you were checking the calendar:

• It’s likely to be a version of Qualcomm‘s ultrasonic fingerprint-under-display system
• Recent patent filings seem to back this up, with suggestions of Touch ID returning to the iPhone
• Kuo also feels that the Apple Watch would have a home for an under-screen fingerprint sensor, without making any claims of Apple actually working on this

Sounds to me like the 2021 iPhone is the one you want, not the ones from this year or next. Maybe the 2021 models will have a more sensible looking camera module as well…

What do you think? Would you like to see Touch ID come back to iPhone models in the future? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.