We heard earlier today that a newly filed patent points towards Apple employing a new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner embedded in future iPhone displays. But could the Cupertino company be planning something a little less groundbreaking for the iPhone 8 and beyond?
That's what's being posed by iDropNews. It's claiming that Apple will instead be pushing the Touch ID scanner to the rear of the handset in order to save bezel space, as is seen in Android handsets like the LG G5.
In addition, the source (said to be a Foxconn assembly line insider) is claiming that the expected iPhone 8 will be named the "iPhone Edition", and that it will feature a vertical dual-camera system – all pictured in the site's render above.
Believe it...or not
It's worth taking the iDropNews rumors with a pinch of salt – we've yet to see its predictions and reports bear accurate fruit, while some of its suggestions for the next iPhone merely repeat things we've heard earlier from other trusted sources.
That said, at least in the case of the rear fingerprint scanner, it's hardly an outlandish claim. There's precedent for rear-mounted finger scanners, however divisive they prove to be, and it'd be easier to implement then an all-new embedded display technology.
But it's not exactly Apple's style to allow PR buzz to build around exciting new potential technologies without at least bursting the bubble first. It'd be a big comedown from a flashy embedded scanner to a rear one, especially when there's a weight of evidence pointing to Apple actively developing the tech. Treat this one with some caution for the time being, then.
