14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is expected to launch a three-model iPhone lineup this year, and included are likely to be a successor to the iPhone X with a 5.8-inch display and a Plus-sized version with a screen of 6.4 or 6.5 inches.
Jean Baptiste Su, vice-president and principal analyst at Atherton Research, thinks the iPhone X Plus will actually come with a 6.2-inch display and will have a design that’d be super-similar to what the existing anniversary model looks like right now.
While there are chances for the notch at the top of the screen to be somewhat smaller, the analyst doesn’t mention a third model featuring LCD and potentially hitting the market with a smaller price tag.
But what he does mention, however, is something that many Face ID critics might like to hear. This year’s iPhones could introduce a fingerprint sensor under the screen, the analyst says, as Apple hasn’t yet abandoned the idea of building a model with both Face ID and Touch ID.
The Touch ID struggle on the iPhone X
For context, it’s believed the iPhone X was originally supposed to launch with a fingerprint sensor embedded into the glass, but because Apple’s work in this regard failed, the company eventually decided to remove Touch ID completely and instead go for Touch ID.
Apple’s executives, however, say this wasn’t the case. The company never considered a fingerprint sensor under the screen, they say, and Face ID was the first option, with everything working exactly as expected from the very beginning.
If Apple does want to bring back Touch ID on the next-generation iPhone, it could all become a very fierce battle, as other companies are also said to be looking into similar tech. Chinese company Vivo has already demoed a fingerprint sensor in the screen, and Samsung itself is said to be planning to launch the upcoming Note 9 with its own version of the technology in the summer of this year.
The next-generation iPhone is projected to launch in the fall, and more information on whether Touch ID is still an option or not will certainly surface soon.