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Ming-Chi Kuo Predicts iPhone 8 Will Omit Touch ID Entirely, Come in Limited Color Options

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KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today made ten predictions related to the 2017 debut of the "iPhone 8," "iPhone 7s," and "iPhone 7s Plus," which are expected to be announced in September and launch sometime afterwards (via StreetInsider).

Kuo's predictions today largely fall in line with all the rumors we've been hearing about the 2017 iPhones over the past few months, with a few new tidbits that suggest the iPhone 8 will be industry-leading in terms of its edge-to-edge design, come in limited color options, and that Apple may be removing Touch ID completely from the OLED smartphone.

iphone-8-parts-come-together.jpg


According to Kuo, the iPhone 8 will have "the highest screen-to-body ratio of any smartphone currently available worldwide," thanks to a drastic reduction in bezels and an edge-to-edge display that we've recently been seeing in various renders. A "notch" for the front-facing camera and sensors will be the only noticeable part of the iPhone 8's bezel design, Kuo said.

Kuo's new predictions also continue to corroborate the iPhone 8's lack of a physical Home button, but he goes on to state that Touch ID will not be incorporated into the OLED smartphone's display. The analyst didn't provide any mention of Touch ID moving elsewhere on the iPhone 8, like the back of the device or lock button as has been previously rumored and largely debunked.

Kuo instead referenced advanced features like "3D sensing for facial recognition," suggesting Apple is ready to ditch Touch ID completely for a new form of biometric security. The analyst said that Apple is still facing technical challenges with implementing Touch ID into a full-screen front-facing display.
"We predict the OLED model won't support fingerprint recognition, reasons being: (1) the full-screen design doesn't work with existing capacitive fingerprint recognition, and (2) the scan-through ability of the under-display fingerprint solution still has technical challenges, including: (i) requirement for a more complex panel pixel design; (ii) disappointing scan-through of OLED panel despite it being thinner than LCD panel; and (iii) weakened scan-through performance due to overlayered panel module. As the new OLED iPhone won't support under-display fingerprint recognition, we now do not expect production ramp-up will be delayed again (we previously projected the ramp-up would be postponed to late October or later)."
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Here's Kuo's full list of iPhone 8 predictions:
1: Apple will roll out three iPhone models in 2H17, including an all-new design 5.2" (or 5.8" depending on the definition of screen size in use) OLED iPhone & LCD models including 4.7" & 5.5" (front form factor design similar to current ones).

2: OLED iPhone will adopt full-screen design, with the highest screen-to-body ratio of any smartphone currently available worldwide (thanks to a notch display design); the OLED model will also come with a virtual Home button, though the button will not support fingerprint recognition.

3: OLED iPhone will support 3D sensing for facial recognition & improved selfie quality.

4: OLED iPhone & 5.5" LCD iPhone will both come with DRAM capacity of 3GB (for dual-camera requirements), while 4.7" version will only use 2GB DRAM (for only single camera).

5: Three new models will all come with 64GB and 256GB storage options.

6: All three new models will have a Lightning port; however, there will be an embedded USB-C power delivery IC for higher charging efficiency.

7: The output power of the receiver & speaker of OLED iPhone will be more consistent to create better stereo effects.

8: To maintain its boutique image, we think the OLED version will offer fewer options for casing colors than LCD iPhone models.

9: We predict October-November & August-September as production ramp-up schedules of OLED iPhone & LCD iPhone, respectively. "For optimized promotional effect, we think Apple may unveil the three models simultaneously in September, though the launch date of the OLED version may trail that of LCD models, and supply tightness may not improve before 1H18."

10: We forecast shipments of the three new models in 2017F will be 80-85mn units, with an equal split between OLED & LCD versions.
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Another new tidbit includes Kuo's belief that the iPhone 8 will come in fewer color options than the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, which the analyst said will help Apple maintain the OLED iPhone's "boutique image."

Otherwise, Kuo's predictions fall in line with previous reports we've seen on the 2017 iPhones, including 64GB and 256GB storage capacities, 3GB of RAM for iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s Plus and 2GB of RAM for iPhone 7s, and a Lightning port with the addition of USB-C Power Delivery for faster charging.

Kuo still believes that all iPhones will be revealed in September, but the iPhone 8 will see a wide availability well after the LCD models thanks to a later production ramp-up schedule. In May, Kuo predicted that a "worst case scenario" is also possible, where "severe supply shortages" will persist throughout 2017 for users looking to get their hands on iPhone 8, with supply tightness not improving until the first quarter of 2018.

Article Link: Ming-Chi Kuo Predicts iPhone 8 Will Omit Touch ID Entirely, Come in Limited Color Options
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/07/03/ming-chi-kuo-iphone-omit-touch-id/
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facial recognition is no where near as good as touchID. TouchID is so good I got spoiled, after damaging my iphone 6 I used my wifes 5C for a couple of weeks before I couldn't take the lack of touchID anymore and had to buy a new phone. I got a rose gold 6S so I can give it to her and buy myself an 8...but if it doesn't have touchID I am not buying it because there are plenty of times I want to unlock my phone without typing a passcode and without looking directly at the front camera.
 
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codewrangler said:
"No touch ID" is stupid...this guy is completely wrong...has he ever been right?
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Good question. The bigger question is this, what is the guys reputation? why don't Macrumors actually mention what the persons reputation is like by comparing what they've said vs. what eventually happened? regarding the issue itself, I doubt they'll remove it given it is an iconic feature that they're rolling out to all Apple devices and is also the cornerstone of Apple Pay.
 
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Seriously, Macrumors slow news day?

I thought this was a legitimate rumors web site, not "random person with no inside knowledge just rambles guesses" web/blog posts.
 
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codewrangler said:
"No touch ID" is stupid...this guy is completely wrong...has he ever been right?
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1) He said no TouchID embedded in the display, not that there would be no TouchID at all. Macrumors are the ones responsible for the misleading clickbait headline, so perhaps you should be questioning their credibility instead.

2) Ming-Chi Kuo has the highest accuracy amongst Apple analysts. He's not always right, but he's right more often than the rest.
 
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Makes me wonder if his no finger print recognition is coming from the challenges that Qualcomm is having with their sensor. His skepticism is almost identical to what Qualcomm said about their issues.
 
The title of this story is misleading - KGI didn't say it touchID would be omitted completely - it was stated that it wouldn't be under the screen. There is no way that Apple is releasing a phone at this time w/o touchID.

Edit: In re-reading what KGI has posted, it does appear that they are stating that there will be no fingerprint sensor whatsoever on the phone. I still find that highly unlikely. Apple can't take a step backward simply for the sake of shrinking bezels. Apple clearly isn't going to give up Apple Pay as their revenue model is continuing to move in the transactions/recurring revenue direction. This would have to mean that, without fingerprint, Apple would be expecting to have people authenticate with a new sensor (e.g. facial recognition) or using the Apple Watch. I can't see Apple requiring people to have an Apple Watch for Apple Pay. This would mean facial recognition, assuming that Apple Pay's agreements with merchants and payment providers would allow it. Maybe they believe that the facial recognition is reliable enough that this will work (the phone is typically facing you anyway when you hold it up to the terminal for Apple Pay), but it better work really, really, really well.
 
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newdeal said:
facial recognition is no where near as good as touchID. TouchID is so good I got spoiled, after damaging my iphone 6 I used my wifes 5C for a couple of weeks before I couldn't take the lack of touchID anymore and had to buy a new phone. I got a rose gold 6S so I can give it to her and buy myself an 8...but if it doesn't have touchID I am not buying it because there are plenty of times I want to unlock my phone without typing a passcode and without looking directly at the front camera.
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I agree.

I test drove the Lumia 950XL a while back. It uses retina recognition. It works surprisingly well. I would say it was compatible with fist generation TouchID. It worked fairly well even if you were wearing sunglasses, which I thought was really neat. Facial recognition, such as the one used on Surface Pro products, works extremely well most of the time. Second generation TouchID though is so quick and accurate that it really leaves the other two methods behind.

There is also another problem with facial recognition. Just the interaction that takes place. I was in a meeting once using the Surface. I was preparing to take notes while talking to someone else, so I had to break eye contact and fiddle with the Surface for it to see me, so that it could recognize me. By contrast, when I use the MacBook, the Apple Watch unlocks it without anyone even knowing. I can continue to remain engaged with other people. TouchID works the same way. You can use your finger while conversing with someone without the distraction of having to "borrow" your face and eye sight for the technology to use it. I know it seems like a minor issue, but it really does make a difference. People notice and they feel like they are not being listened to - and that's not a good thing when you're talking to a client.
 
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