Ming-Chi Kuo, a KGI analyst who is often given kudos for his insider information on the movements on Apple and its iPhones, published a new report on the upcoming lineup of iPhones, saying the company is gearing up to release the iPhone 8 with a home button that is hidden under the screen.
According to a report, Kuo thinks the iPhone 8 will have the highest screen-to-body ratio of any smartphone on the market, thanks in part to the virtual home button. That virtual button won’t support fingerprint recognition, noted the analyst, who said the iPhone 8 OLED screen won’t have a Touch ID sensor at all. The OLED iPhone is expected to have a 5.8-inch display ,and as previously reported, the overall phone will be similar in size to the 4.7-inch iPhone 7. The analyst has been right about Apple’s plans in the past. For instance, he was spot on about Apple’s plans to roll out a 10.5-inch iPad Pro, a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a standard 9.7-inch iPad earlier in 2017.
The iPhone 8 won’t include a fingerprint sensor, but it will have support for facial recognition, KGI reported. With that feature users will probably be able to unlock their phone via a facial scan. Given reports that Apple was having trouble with the fingerprint sensor, Kuo speculated that giving up on embedding one on the screen will avoid delays in the launch of the much-awaited new device. The analyst also said Apple will launch updates to the iPhone 7 and the iPhone Plus, which aren’t likely to see huge changes but will rather have updated processors. It’s something Apple has done each year with its smartphones, noted the report. The research outfit is also predicting the OLED iPhone 8 will be offered in fewer colors than the normal iPhone lineup to maintain a so-called boutique branding.
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