Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities correctly predicted that Apple will drop the fingerprint reader, though he wasn’t right about the gesture area. Now he’s back with another forecast for the future – in 2018 Apple will drop the fingerprint reader altogether.


This means that the company will fully rely on the new Kinect-like TrueDepth camera and FaceID system. But the camera does more than authentication – it also enables animojis and future tech based on the system (like the Snapchat demo).

The in-display fingerprint reader reportedly remains a challenge as Apple’s 3D Touch makes the display panel thicker than on most phones. Still, Apple has not given up on this project, allegedly keeping it as a backup if FaceID fails to resonate with consumers.