14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is expected to change the position of the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone 8 as part of the company’s efforts to offer a display with narrow bezels, and up until now, the majority of rumors seem to be pointing that the company could either move it under the display or to the back of phone.
A patent that was discovered today by PatentlyApple suggests another scenario, with Apple already developing a technology that would allow the firm to place the fingerprint scanner right in the power button.
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor?
According to the patent called “Finger biometric sensor assembly including direct bonding interface and related methods,” the power button could be located at the top of the device, which means that Apple could in the end change the location of the power button as well, though the company explains that placing it on the sides of the device is also possible.
“A finger biometric sensor assembly may include a finger biometric sensor integrated circuit (IC) die having a finger sensing area and a cover layer aligned with the finger sensing area. The finger biometric sensor may also include a direct bonding interface between the finger biometric sensor and the cover layer,” Apple explains in the abstract section of the patent.
A similar approach has already been used by Sony on the new Xperia XZ Premium, which comes with a fingerprint reader that’s integrated into the side-mounted power button, so it’ll be interesting to see if Apple is indeed going for such a design or not.
The most recent leaks suggested that the fingerprint sensor would be placed under the screen, as part of a new design that was also embraced by Samsung. The South Korean firm was projected to launch such a technology on the Galaxy S8, but people close to the matter said the tech wasn’t ready and the firm decided to hold it back until the Note 8.
The iPhone 8 is expected to see daylight in the fall with a number of other new features, including an OLED screen, wireless charging, a glass body, and face/iris recognition for biometric authentication.
