Barclays analyst Andrew Gardiner and three of his colleagues say Apple’s upcoming “iPhone 13” handsets will “likely” feature a fingerprint scanner embedded under the display for device authentication in addition to Face ID.
In a research note shared by MacRumors earlier today, the analysts added that iPhone 13 models will feature a smaller notch and that the LiDAR Scanner will remain limited to iPhone 13 Pro models this year. Barclays said its research is at least partly based on “extensive industry conversations” with suppliers in recent weeks.
The analysts also claim that the iPhone 13’s smaller notch will be due to a “more tightly integrated version of the current structured light system” for Face ID, adding that a “bigger shift” is likely to come in 2022. Apple is said to be aiming to adopt time-of-flight architecture for Face ID that would allow for an “even smaller footprint.”
An excerpt from the research note:
For the coming iPhone 13 cycle in 2H21, we foresee a more tightly integrated version of the existing structured light system, which will enable the long awaited reduction in the notch. On the rear, we do not anticipate Apple to broaden the adoption of the Lidar 3D sensor beyond the Pro models.
For the 2H22 product cycle, we anticipate an architectural shift from structured light to time-of-flight, allowing for an even smaller footprint. Based on our industry conversations, we do not think structured light beneath the screen is likely to be ready for mass deployment in 2H22. We also view the adoption of fingerprint-under-glass, that likely is added in the 2H21 iPhones, as a structural headwind for additional 3D sensing content at Apple and could be the security feature of the future.
Numerous rumors have floated about Apple’s bringing the fingerprint scanner under the display. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern have claimed Apple is working on an under-display fingerprint scanner for the iPhone 13.