Apple’s ditched its long-standing FACE ID supplier, leading to speculation it is completely overhauling the system on iPhone 16
In-screen FACE ID sensors. It’s the rumors that simply won’t die, now easily outnumbering speculation about Apple making a TV, the foldable iPhone, and iPads getting touchscreens.
Under-Screen FACE ID Rumored For iPhone 16 – Or iPhone 17. Or, Any New iPhone In Perpetuity…
As always, there is fuel to these recent speculations about Apple completely redesigning FACE ID for the iPhone 16, and it goes a little something like this:
Face ID component supplier Coherent was considering selling or repurposing a manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, a small town in England, after losing a supply deal with a large customer believed to be Apple. The report claimed Apple was expected to “overhaul” the Face ID system on iPhone 16 models.
It is unclear what changes Apple may be planning for the Face ID system on iPhone 16 models, if any. Early rumors indicated that iPhone 16 Pro models could feature an under-screen Face ID system, but reputable display industry source Ross Young later indicated that this change is no longer expected until next year at the earliest.
Source
The takeaway here, as ever, as that no one knows what is happening. FACE ID as it is works just fine. Apple could be bringing its production in house, switching it to India, or moving it back home to a US-based supplier.
How Would Under-Screen FACE ID Work With Apple’s Dynamic Island?
Plus, what about Dynamic Island? How does that factor into FACE ID going under-screen? Given that Dynamic Island is A) fairly new, and B) rather popular with users and actually quite useful, I really don’t see the point of Apple messing with its implementation just to get an under-screen FACE ID sensor aboard the iPhone 16 series.
News cycles always get crazy ahead of a big, new phone launch and every year we see the same rumors, under-screen FACE ID being one of the most common, alongside the return of TouchID, again, an in under-screen context.
This rumor, however, is likely bunk. Apple has plenty of other areas where it could make tangible gains, where its R&D money would be better spent, than on rejigging an already fairly seamless biometric sensor that tens of millions of people use every single day without giving it so much of a thought.
