14 DAY TRIAL // Last year, we reported that Apple filed a patent application for a fingerprint sensor built into the display and it seems that it wasn’t the only such feature that the Cupertino giant patented. A new patent shows a method of embedding the fingerprint sensor into the screen.
The patent application was filed back in 2014, which means that Apple had plenty of time to perfect the method and it might actually be featured on the iPhone 8. The upcoming iPhone 8 or iPhone X will mark the 10-year anniversary since the first iPhone was released.
The smartphone is said to come with major design changes, tiny bezels, and even a slightly curved display. In order to achieve smaller bezels, Apple could very well remove the physical home button and place the fingerprint scanner below the display.
The new method can only be used on OLED displays
The new patent reveals just how Apple might do that. The smartphone could use infrared emitters and sensors placed alongside the RGB LEDs in an OLED-style display, according to Apple Insider. This would allow the reading of fingerprints through high-resolution touch sensing features.
The patent also says that this method can only be used with an OLED display, which suggests that it might be featured on the iPhone 8 since the phone is said to come with such a screen type. The patent is assigned to Apple, but the technology was invented by LuxVue, a company that Apple bought in 2014.
However, there’s no guarantee that Apple will actually develop the new technology, considering that the company has also patented two other methods. One of the past patents revealed a method of placing a sensor behind the screen and reading fingerprints through gaps in the space.
In addition, there’s the option of using ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, namely Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sense ID, which utilizes ultrasonic waves instead.
The iPhone 8 is also rumored to come with edge-to-edge display, wide-range wireless charging, and a bigger battery.