14 DAY TRIAL // The iPhone 8 is expected to give up on Touch ID entirely, as Apple has reportedly failed to embed the fingerprint sensor in the display, and the company now goes for plan B which comes down to offering facial recognition exclusively.
The OLED iPhone 8 will thus be the first iPhone in history to feature facial recognition, but there are concerns the system might fail to work properly and affect usability, especially because owners would have to hold the device in hand to have their faces scanned.
It looks like Apple has developed the facial recognition system to address all these concerns from the very beginning, and one particular focus for the company has been the speed of the whole process. As we’ve seen on Microsoft’s Lumia 950 XL, which itself features Windows Hello for biometric authentication, the process of granting one user with access to a device can be rather troublesome and sometime take more than a couple of seconds.
Faster than Touch ID
But in the case of the iPhone 8, the whole thing will complete in a few millionths of a second, according to a report from the Korea Herald discussing with a source familiar with the matter a number of features coming to the device.
Facial recognition will thus be even faster than fingerprint scanning, and there are reports that the feature could also work when the iPhone is on the desk, which means you won’t have to hold it in hand to pass the lock screen.
On the other hand, the report confirms there’s a good chance the iPhone 8 would hit a small delay, mostly because of the limited supply, with Samsung the only company in charge of building OLED panels for Apple’s new model.
This means that while the iPhone 8 is expected to be unveiled next month at Apple’s press conference, sales could begin later this year, most likely in October or November, as Cupertino manages to deal with production struggles.