iPhone users who were expecting to see an under-display Touch ID sensor in an upcoming iPhone might have to wait years. Under-display fingerprint scanners have been around for over four years now. The first smartphone to launch with an under-display fingerprint scanner was the Vivo X21 from the Chinese manufacturer Vivo. Since 2018, almost all flagship Android smartphones have launched with an under-display fingerprint scanner.
Apple, on the other hand, launched Face ID in 2017. Since then, it has not included Touch ID in any flagship iPhone nor introduced an under-display sensor. Back in 2021, there were rumors about Apple considering the tech for upcoming iPhones, but the iPhone 13 arrived without it. For reference, Apple does have an "Enhanced under-display fingerprint sensing using angle-focused narrow field-of-view filters" patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
TF International Securities analyst and known Apple tipster, Ming-Chi Kuo, took to Twitter recently and contradicted an earlier prediction. Kuo says that the "latest survey indicates new iPhones in 2023 & 2024 may not adopt under-display Touch ID." If correct, then Apple won't include one of the most-awaited features in the purported iPhone 14 (2022), iPhone 15 (2023), or iPhone 16 (2024). Last year, Kuo forecasted the arrival of under-display Touch ID on iPhone by 2023.
Apparently, Face ID Is Just Too Good
Kuo also mentions the reason behind the latest prediction is Face ID with a mask. Apple's facial recognition system has come a long way since it was launched in 2017. Initially, Face ID was able to detect and analyze a user's face with a beard, hats, or sunglasses. Now, users of an iPhone 12 and later models are able to even use Face ID with a mask. Kuo mentions that as this "is already a great biometrics solution," Apple might not go the extra mile to include an under-display Touch ID on its smartphones. At least not in the next couple of years.
According to a recent report, Apple will use Samsung's tech for under-display Face ID in select iPhone models in 2023. However, the report also mentions that Apple will only use the technology in the iPhone 15 Pro variants, whereas the non-Pro models could feature the punch hole and pill design that's anticipated to launch with this year's iPhone 14 Pro. Now that Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that under-display Touch ID won't be a part of the iPhone until 2024 at the earliest, it will be interesting to see how Apple compensates for the lack of a feature that's been present on Android for a very long time.
Source: USPTO, Ming-Chi Kuo Twitter