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iPhone 7 Touch ID More Prone To Scratches?

R

rstark18

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 18, 2009
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Assuming the rumors are true about a pressure-sensitive home button, will that mean the Touch ID senor will be more prone to scratches?

The current Touch ID button is made out of sapphire which is very scratch resistant. I haven't heard of anyone actually scratching on (although I'm sure someone has). If the new home button is part of the glass screen then it would be just as scratch prone as the rest of the screen which does scratch pretty easily. Will those micro scratches affect Touch ID recognition? I would expect that they would.

Alternatively maybe Apple will bond a sapphire button to the front glass panel to avoid this issue. I'm surprised we haven't had any parts leaks regarding this.
 
Given that we don't really know much about what TouchID will be like on the upcoming phone or what the screen will be like or really what anything will be like, it seems like we don't really know what would or wouldn't be more or less prone to scratches or anything else.
 
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rstark18 said:
Assuming the rumors are true about a pressure-sensitive home button, will that mean the Touch ID senor will be more prone to scratches?

The current Touch ID button is made out of sapphire which is very scratch resistant. I haven't heard of anyone actually scratching on (although I'm sure someone has). If the new home button is part of the glass screen then it would be just as scratch prone as the rest of the screen which does scratch pretty easily. Will those micro scratches affect Touch ID recognition? I would expect that they would.

Alternatively maybe Apple will bond a sapphire button to the front glass panel to avoid this issue. I'm surprised we haven't had any parts leaks regarding this.
Click to expand...
A pressure sensitive home button doesn't necessarily mean it will be a part of the display. Apple could easily just make a force touch home button. It wouldn't move, and would still be separate from the front glass. As far as I know it almost has to go this way as the Touch ID sensor needs that metal ring to know whether a finger is present or not; thereby separating the new home button from the display.
 
I think we need to see and handle the iPhone 7 first before we make any pre-judgement calls.
 
whsbuss said:
Who said the home button, being pressure sensitive, would not be gorilla glass anyway?
Click to expand...
Nobody but it's currently sapphire which is MUCH stronger than Gorilla Glass. Switching from sapphire to GG would be a step backwards.
 
rstark18 said:
Nobody but it's currently sapphire which is MUCH stronger than
Gorilla Glass. Switching from sapphire to GG would be a step backwards.
Click to expand...

GG is just a marketing term for a production process, unfortunately I forget the name.
It has something to do with ionisation.

Other companies do it as well but GG is a trademark, so they cannot call it that.
It is still glass, so sapphire would always be better.

By the way, sapphire is not stronger at all, it'll break easy. It just does not scratch because of its dense crystalline structure.
 
rstark18 said:
Assuming the rumors are true about a pressure-sensitive home button, will that mean the Touch ID senor will be more prone to scratches?
Click to expand...

Hang on...



No, nothing! :D

Seriously, nobody here can answer your questions, or even advise you.

Just be patient and all will be revealed next month...
 
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