14 DAY TRIAL // The new iPhone launching this year won’t bring too many changes in terms of design and features, although some upgrades are indeed expected, but it turns out that Apple is actually planning several new goodies for the next generations.
A report coming from Digitimes claims that the 2018 model will boast an iris scanner similar to the one used on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which will provide a more secure authentication system than the now-ordinary fingerprint sensor.
While nobody can tell for sure if this report is true or not, it kind of makes sense for Apple to introduce an iris scanner on a future iPhone model, especially because fingerprint sensors are no longer hackerproof and authorities find new ways to unlock devices protected with fingerprints. Only recently, Michigan police managed to develop with help from researchers 3D replicas of a dead man’s fingers in order to unlock his iPhone believed to hold critical information regarding the cause of his death.
With Apple looking to offer customers protection systems that can’t be bypassed by authorities, an iris scanner would be the next logical step, although we’re pretty sure that Cupertino is looking at something bigger than the traditional technology that’s already in the use.
Samsung will offer an iris scanner on the Note 7
First and foremost, it’s worth noting that Samsung will offer such a feature on its upcoming Galaxy Note 7, so by the time the 2018 Apple sees daylight, Samsung should already have at least two or even three generations of phones with iris scanners. What’s also important to know is that Microsoft was the first company to offer an iris scanner on handsets with the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, which use the infrared camera and Windows Hello to provide users with access to the device.
Then, Apple must find a way to make iris scanners more effective, and that will be a challenge for Samsung's the Note 7 too. Iris scanners are usually slower than fingerprint readers, and their efficiency varies by a number of factors, including surrounding light and the current state of the iris - for instance, depending on the alcohol level in owner’s blood, the iris could expand and thus make it impossible for the scanner to read it correctly.
These are all challenges that Apple needs to deal if it really wants to bring an iPhone with iris scanning capabilities to the market, so it’ll be interesting to see both Cupertino and Samsung fighting over what’s becoming the latest trend for smartphones.