Apple could be readying a notch-less iPhone for 2020, according to reports.
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested to Chinese website MyDrivers yesterday that the company would release at least one new iPhone in 2020 with a smaller front camera lens and “an improved” screen-to-bezel ratio, suggesting Apple was planning to trim down the notch for future iPhones, starting with the batch set for release next year.
The China Times followed up the report with insights from an analyst at investment firm Credit Suisse in Asia, who suggested that Apple would release an iPhone without a notch as soon as 2020 – but as a compromise, this device would come without Face ID authentication.
The end of Face ID?
According to the source, Apple would add an under-screen front camera and a return to Touch ID, via a full-screen authentication service rather than via a traditional home button.
Both sources added that all iPhones released in 2021 onwards could be notch-less, with all transitioning to an under-the-screen front camera and fingerprint authentication, although it is unknown whether the company would phase out Face ID entirely, as this is a more secure form of authentication and has been key to Apple selling the iPhone X and XS models.
Last week, another report suggested that Apple would launch a new iPhone with an under-the-screen fingerprint scanner, but only in the Chinese market, as the technology would reportedly cost less than the components required for Face ID.
The iPhone Notch has been controversial, with many unhappy with the way it makes the iPhone look and claiming that Apple has compromised on usability and style by switching to a notch before it had developed under-the-screen fingerprint technology.
Still, the iPhone X and iPhone XS are now two of Apple’s biggest selling iPhones to date.
Other companies, including Oppo and Xiaomi, have launched their own phones with under the screen cameras, whilst Apple supplier AMS has developed under-screen proximity sensors which could be used for Touch ID.
Whether Apple will purchase the technology from AMS or develop their own Touch ID replacement remains to be seen, but it’s looking promising either way.
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