14 DAY TRIAL // One of the overly-discussed changes coming on the iPhone 8 is the position of the fingerprint sensor, with reports that reached the web in the last couple of months pointing to all kinds of possibilities that Apple was said to be considering at some point during the development process of the new model.
Now a new set of renders published by Forbes using CADs coming from case designer Nodus and based on information coming from the supply chain indicate that Apple has more or less decided on where to put Touch ID on the iPhone 8: inside the power button.
The renders that you see here indeed reveal a power button that’s longer than usual, with the cited sources claiming that Apple increased its dimensions specifically to integrate Touch ID. While we’d expect a fingerprint sensor to require the button to be thicker, if these renders are accurate then Apple found a way to do the whole thing by simply extending the button vertically, thus making it easier to scan the finger even when holding the device with one hand.
Not something new
That should be pretty easy to do given the phone’s dimensions, as the iPhone 8 is expected to feature a 5.8-inch display with narrow bezels, which in the end would lead to a handset that’s only slightly bigger than the existing 4.7-inch iPhone 7.
A fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button isn’t something entirely innovative, as there are already several devices featuring such an approach, including the Sony Xperia XZ Premium that we’ve reviewed recently.
Apple was originally said to integrate Touch ID into the display, but people familiar with the matter explained the technology wasn’t ready for the September launch. Instead, there were voices indicating that the iPhone 8 would go all in on 3D facial recognition and give up on Touch ID entirely.
Unlikely rumors also claimed that Apple considered moving the fingerprint sensor to the back in pure Android fashion, but the most recent leaks have shown such a proposal has already been rejected.
