Apple to Bring Back Touch ID for 2021 iPhones: Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple will bring back Touch ID for its 2021 iPhones, using an in-display fingerprint sensor, an analyst has predicted.

Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities has predicted (via 9to5Mac) that the 2021 iPhone lineup will bring Touch ID back to Apple’s flagship device. However, the iPhone’s current Face ID biometric authentication system will not be going away — Kou says the 2021 iPhones will feature both security measures.

The return of Touch ID is said to take the form as an under-display fingerprint module that will allow users to place their finger anywhere on the iPhone’s display to unlock it.

The Cupertino, California company is likely trying to figure out technical problems it’s been having with the in-display components in the next 18 months, according to Kuo. It’s apparently been struggling with the power consumption, the sensing area’s small size, the thickness of sensing modules and production issues.

According to Kuo, however, within the next 18 months, technological advancements will alleviate those problems and pave the way for Apple to offer both Face ID and Touch ID. The analyst said that he believes Apple sees Face ID and Touch ID as complementary features that could ultimately work well together.



The analyst believes that Apple will likely rely on Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for its 2021 iPhone. Samsung currently is the only OEM which uses Qualcomm’s under-display fingerprint scanner on its flagship devices. Other OEMs rely on an optical fingerprint scanner which is faster but does not offer the same level of security.

As well as being used in the iPhone, 9to5Mac notes that Kuo also suggests that the technology could be a better fit for the Apple Watch than Face ID, although he stops short of saying that Apple actually has plans to incorporate it. The Apple Watch doesn’t currently include any form of biometric security and relies on a PIN code.