As we've reported in the past, Apple is expected to change the location of Touch ID on the iPhone 8 as part of its efforts to offer a display with narrow bezels. Sources so far suggest that the company could either move it under the display or to the back of the device.
A patent published today suggests a different scenario, with Apple developing a new technology that allows the fingerprint scanner to be placed in the power button.
The new patent is called “Finger biometric sensor assembly including direct bonding interface and related methods” and claims that the power button will be located on the top of the device, although the company was leaning more towards placing it on the side of the new smartphone.
"The fingerprint sensor will include an integrated circuit (IC) die that includes a direct solder interface between a biometric fingerprint sensor and a cover layer," Apple explains in the patent.
It should be noted that a similar approach has been used by Sony on the new Xperia XZ Premium which comes with a fingerprint reader integrated into the side power button, so we are very curious to see whether Apple will implement this design or not.
However, the latest leaks reveal that the fingerprint sensor will be placed under the display as part of a new design that will be adopted by Samsung. In fact, the South Korean company wanted to launch the new technology on the Galaxy S8 but the engineers were not yet ready for this step, so we should expect it with the release of the Note 8.
