Apple iPhone Touch ID Features Update: Analyst Eyes Major Revamp on Multitouch Tech in 2017
Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reportedly sees a major revamp being done on the Apple Touch ID feature following a new bodywork design being implemented on the smartphone this year.
Online news source Apple Insider reportedly obtained Kuo's recent note to investors that suggests a change in the multitouch technology module of the company after the modification made on the design of the next iPhone.
It can be recalled that one of the changes in the highly anticipated iPhone 8 is the organic light-emitting diode panel. With that, Kuo suggests that the upcoming handset might also feature a 3D Touch module beneath its OLED panel.
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The report mentioned that Apple plans to reiterate a layered arrangement design that was first utilized on the iPhone 6S in 2015.
Added to that, Kuo sees Apple jumping from flexible printed circuit boards to thin film in terms of the sensor design department. Apple Insider also noted that the change in sensor design is expected to bring an enhanced sensitivity to the hardware.
According to Kuo, Apple would opt for the thin film to avoid the deformation of the OLED panels. The noted analyst reportedly mentioned that current layered 3D Touch modules use metal conductive plates that make the flexible OLED panel prone to being bent out of shape.
Apple will likely place a passive metal component underneath the film sensor to give structural support and complement to the flexible nature of the OLED panels.
However, Kuo also predicts a 10 to 20 percent increase in the module costs since the new design will include a more complicated lamination process.
These new modules are expected to be supplied by GIS and TPK and shall be shipped in March or April.
In other news, the next iPhone generation is expected to share the same water and dust resistance feature that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 reportedly has. From IP67, the upcoming line of Apple smartphones will sport an IP68 rating which allows the device to be submerged in 1.5 meters of water in 30 minutes without being damaged.
The next iPhone generation is expected to arrive this year.
