Kuo: If Face ID is 'Well Received,' It's Likely 2018 iPhones Will Fully Adopt TrueDepth Camera

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this afternoon published a new research note for investors where he speculates about what Apple might do in future iPhones regarding Touch ID and Face ID. Investors, like many of us, are curious whether Apple plans to eliminate Touch ID in favor of Face ID, embrace a dual biometric solution, or swap back to Touch ID once a viable under display solution is available.

Kuo believes Apple's future plans will hinge on whether or not Face ID is well received by the public.

faceidangle

A key question on the minds of many investors is whether the new iPhone models to be launched in 2018 will support Touch ID (fingerprint recognition). We believe the key factors are: (1) whether or not Face ID (facial recognition) of iPhone X provide a positive user experience; and (2) the technical issues that Apple (US) will have to address with an under-display fingerprint solution. We believe Apple will replace the existing Home button-based Touch ID with the under-display solution for higher screen-to-body ratios, if it decides to bring back Touch ID.

Should Face ID be well received by consumers who purchase the iPhone X, Kuo believes there's a higher likelihood 2018 iPhone models will adopt the TrueDepth Camera and support Face ID.

Should Apple choose to return to Touch ID as either a dual biometric solution or a Face ID replacement should Face ID not fare well, Kuo believes any forthcoming Touch ID option will be built under the iPhone's display. 3D Touch, though, will make it challenging for Apple to develop an under-display solution.

This is because the iPhone's 3D Touch module makes the entire panel module even thicker, and could potentially undermine the scan-through performance of the under-display solution. If Face ID fails to impress consumers, Apple may turn its focus to the development of under-display solution. However, even if that happens, Apple will still have to find ways to overcome the aforementioned technical issue.

If Face ID does indeed go over well with consumers and makes its way into additional iOS devices in 2018, Kuo believes Apple's Android competitors will make an effort to speed up facial recognition development, boosting manufacturers who supply facial recognition components.

Face ID will be in the hands of consumers this November, following the launch of the iPhone X. As Face ID is a new biometric system, there have been a lot of questions and doubts about privacy, security, and functionality, but Apple's Craig Federighi has attempted to alleviate the uncertainty with a series of interviews.

In a recent discussion with Daring Fireball's John Gruber, Federighi said that once Face ID is in the hands of consumers, all of that uncertainty will just "melt away." The feature "just works," he says. "You don't even have to think about it."

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

djcerla Avatar
85 months ago
I seriously can’t think of a situation where Face ID is more convenient then Touch ID. I can think of a dozen ways Touch ID would be, though.
Wet hands and gloves. There you have it, two of them.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canadianreader Avatar
85 months ago
I have a feeling that Touch ID is gone just like the headphone jack.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ds6778 Avatar
85 months ago
I seriously can’t think of a situation where Face ID is more convenient then Touch ID. I can think of a dozen ways Touch ID would be, though.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IJ Reilly Avatar
85 months ago
Good lord, is this ever a silly question. Apple would not have released this technology if they thought it had any chance of not being well received by customers. The odds of them going backwards are so close to nil as to not even be worth calculating. The only question that should be asked is how long it will take for this tech to migrate to the entire iOS line.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macTW Avatar
85 months ago
I expect a solid reception. This isn't a gimmick - the amount of modeling and security built into face ID is more than any previous phone biometric system.

Most people criticizing it have yet to use it themselves. They're relying on media members paid not for the truth but for clicks on their website.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chatter Avatar
85 months ago
100% wild guess here - but I think they will eventually have both. Touch ID under glass and Face ID. And I think both will simultaneously be used for authentication and unlocking the device. Essentially more security.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...