There's one iPhone 13 rumors that continues to surface, and it's one we hope is true. A new report claims the fingerprint sensor that disappeared from Apple’s phones with the iPhone X in 2017 is going to make a comeback with the iPhone 13.
Not only will Touch ID be present in the iPhone 13, the report from Barclays (via 9to5Mac) claims it’s also going under the phone’s display.
- The best iPhones you can buy today
- iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: The biggest changes to expect
- Plus: Curved phone screens are actually good — and they’re getting better
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors Touch ID’s return. Bloomberg put out a similar report in January. But the Barclays report claims are based on conversations with various suppliers in the past few weeks.
The addition of an under-display scanner for Touch ID would mark a major shift in terms of iPhone design. Since 2017, we’ve been using Face ID to unlock our phones, something that’s become less convenient now that we’re wearing masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While Apple continues to eschew a fingerprint reader, rival phone makers have added in-display sensors. Samsung’s flagship phones, including the Galaxy S21, have an in-display sensor as do several other top Android phones.
iPhone 13 to get smaller notch
MacRumors says that the research note from Barclays analyst Andrew Gardiner and three additional colleagues claims that new iPhone 13 models will also come with a smaller notch. This should make the displays on the iPhone 13 feel more immersive.
According to the Barclays analysts, the iPhone 13 will feature a "more tightly integrated version of the current structured light system" to enable notch shrinkage. The notch has remained largely the same ever since it debuted on the iPhone X to house the sensors that make Face ID possible.
What's more, the phone's LiDAR scanner will remain an exclusive feature of Pro models of the iPhone 13, just like it is on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
With a smaller notch, added security with Touch ID and Face ID, and whatever additional features Apple decides to introduce with the iPhone 13, the next generation of iPhones could innovate more than previous iterations. It will all come down to what Apple presents in the coming months.
