Now that the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are in consumers' hands, many are wondering what Apple might do with its 2020 iPhones. New reports claim that Apple could be planning at least one big change to its next flagship phone.
Apple could use an in-display fingerprint sensor for its 2020 iPhone. That's according to two reports from the Economic Daily News (via MacRumors), which cautions that Apple could decide to push the use of an in-display fingerprint sensor in an iPhone to 2021. Apple is expected to use an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor from Qualcomm.
The reports add that Apple has arranged to meet with GIS, a touchscreen manufacturer in Taiwan, next week to talk about making an iPhone with an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Also of note is that this isn't the first time that we've heard rumblings of an in-display fingerprint sensor for a 2020 iPhone. A report from a few months ago claimed that Apple's in-display fingerprint sensor could work on a "large portion" of the screen and that it will work together with Face ID face unlock.
Apple has been moving away from its Touch ID fingerprint reader ever since the launch of the iPhone X in 2017. The iPhone 8 that also launched in 2017 was the last iPhone to have a physical fingerprint reader, with Apple going all-in on with Face ID for last year's iPhone XS and XR and this year's iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.
The all-screen design of those phones means Apple had nowhere to put its physical home button with fingerprint reader. With an in-display fingerprint sensor, though, Apple could offer customers both Touch ID and Face ID without having to use big bezels around the screen or placing a fingerprint reader on the back of the device. While Apple hasn't used Touch ID for a couple years now, there are still folks who prefer the convenience of using their finger to unlock their phone, and so having both options could give those people another reason to be interested in a new iPhone model.
