iPhone 5S Specs: Home Button with Fingerprint Scanner to be Similar to iPhone 5
The latest rumor regarding iPhone 5S specs points to the home button on the device being shaped the same as the version found on the iPhone 5.
The device will feature a fingerprint scanner built into the home button of the iPhone 5S, however, previous rumors said that the button will be convex shaped on the handset instead of rounded. Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac stated that the button on the new iPhone will not be that different from the one found on the old version.
He claims to have heard this information from reliable sources and also stated that Apple did not build the fingerprint scanner into early prototypes of the 5S, but tested the scanners inside of external housing instead.
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KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a research note earlier this month that pointed to the next-gen iPhone coming with a different shaped home button.
He describes it as a convex shaped button that will give Apple more space to fit the fingerprint sensor on the device.
"Convex home button creates space for fingerprint sensor; yield to improve," wrote Kuo in the report. "We think that a fingerprint sensor will be placed under the home button of the iPhone 5S [or iPhone 6]."
Apple will use sapphire for the home button in order to prevent it from becoming scratched or damaged, as a convex shaped button will not be as durable as what is found on the current iPhone models.
"A convex home button could be more easily scratched, so a harder material is required," continued Kuo. "We believe Apple will switch from plastic to sapphire, whose hardness is second only to diamond."
Sapphire will also prevent the fingerprint sensor from being scratched, according to the report.
Kuo also states that Apple will have an advantage over its competitors with its fingerprint sensor as the company will utilize RF and capacitive technology from AuthenTec rather than the common optical recognition found in many other sensors that firms such as Samsung and HTC might end up employing for smartphones in the future.
