The Apple iPhone 8 is scheduled to launch this September and news is starting to be leaked on key features we can look forward to. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has indicated that Apple won’t be including the fingerprint scanner under the display of the iPhone 8, but instead may have something even more high tech to offer. It is being reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, that a 3D sensor module will be part of the iPhone 8 series, that will enable log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure applications simply by facial recognition. Part of the motivation in the iPhone 8 security change may be linked to rumors that the new face will have a full screen edge to edge design (all-glass enclosure), with no bezel, leaving no room on the front for Apple’s TouchID fingerprint sensor. The new flagship release will reportedly be the same size as the iPhone 7 but will be have a 5.15-inch display area instead of the previous 4.7-inch display. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor has been the key unlocking security for Apple since the iPhone 5s.
Apple Leveraging Acquired Technology?
The Bloomberg report notes that for the 10th anniversary iPhone, Apple is testing iris scanning technology for unlocking the smartphone as well. The facial scanning sensor can work even if the device “is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face.” In addition the 3D sensor is said to be able to respond in a few hundred milliseconds making it easier to use and more secure than the existing fingerprint sensor. The iPhone 8 facial scanning technology is likely based on a 3D camera technology Apple brought in-house when it acquired Realface. RealFace, was an Israeli startup cybersecurity and machine learning company specializing in facial recognition technology.
