With the 2019 iPhone almost set in stone, the entire planet is looking for Apple to redeem themselves with a smartphone that won’t just be an incremental upgrade but come with features that will actually wow the world. If reports stemming out of China are anything to go by, then Apple indeed has a trick up its sleeve.
Chinese website Global Times has offered some sensational news stating Apple will introduce a new budget smartphone which foregoes on the Face ID in favour of an in-display fingerprint sensor. This handset is rumoured to first launch in China but if sold worldwide, it will be a massive success.
As of now, not much is known about this iPhone, however, Global Times sources claim that the reason for launching this smartphone is to save on costs as Apple plans on winning over Chinese consumers back. In the past few years, brands such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have dominated in China with state-of-the-art designs and prices that undercut Apple’s iPhones.
Global Times adds that over 85 per cent of the Chinese smartphone market belongs to those costing Yuan 4,000 (USD 580) and below. Apple used to dominate that market when it announced the iPhone SE which was priced at USD 399; however, the brand’s policy of filling this space with smartphones that are old does not work anymore.
Reports also suggest that Apple already has the technology to make this smartphone a reality as the brand has filed about five patents surrounding in-display Touch ID. Interestingly, some of the patents include breakdowns with photography and information that has the capabilities to not just scan your fingerprint but create a 3D model of it.
As of now, we should take this information with a heavy dose of salt as it has come out of nowhere and they appear to be the only publication to have this claim. In any case, the 2020 iPhones are expected to debut with an all-screen in-display Touch ID that’s placed alongside Face ID, making it one of the most hotly anticipated smartphones in recent memory.
