A new investor note published today by analysts at Barclays Research says that the iPhone 13 models that will arrive later this year “probably” will have support for Touch ID under the screen. The report also corroborates other details about the iPhone 13, including that the devices will have a smaller notch.
Perhaps most interestingly, analysts say the iPhone 13 will have support for Touch ID on the screen, citing “extensive conversations about the industry”. It comes as both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported that the Touch ID on the screen is something under test for the iPhone 13.
Notably, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors earlier this month that “there is no visibility in the current iPhone programming” to adopt Touch ID on the screen this year.
Barclays analysts believe the iPhone 13 will add “fingerprint under the glass” this year as the “security feature of the future”. Barclays analysts write (via MacRumors):
For the 2H22 product cycle, we anticipate an architectural change from structured light to flight time, allowing for an even smaller footprint. Based on our conversations in the sector, we do not believe that the structured light under the screen is ready for mass deployment in 2H22. We also see the adoption of digital printing under glass, which is likely to be added on iPhones 2H21, as a structural obstacle to additional 3D detection content at Apple and could be the security feature of the future.
Elsewhere in the investor’s note, Barclays Research predicts that the notch of the iPhone 13 will be smaller this year, thanks to changes in the design of the structured light system. The new design will be “more integrated”, which is similar to what has also been reported by Macotakara. The rear-facing LiDAR scanner is also expected to remain exclusive to “Pro” models this year.
Finally, the Barclays Research report proves that Apple has a “major change” planned for the design of the notch in 2022. This is after Kuo reported that the 2022 models of the iPhone 14 Pro will abandon the notch altogether in favor of a design punch similar to that used by some Android flagships.
The exact branding of the iPhone 2021 remains unclear. Internally, Apple referred to this year as an “S” year in terms of updates, but Apple’s marketing names are often kept secret until the announcement.
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