Is Face ID Coming to All 2018 iPhones?

Further signs have emerged of Apple’s commitment to its Face ID facial recognition system with new reports that the company has signed up two additional components suppliers.

The unnamed suppliers are both based in China, and are expected to supplement LG Innotek, which will remain the primary vendor of 3D sensing modules needed for the biometric authentication system’s operation. Coming soon after Apple’s announcement of a $390 million investment in Finisar, a US-based supplier of laser technology for Face ID, the new reports reinforce the idea that Apple is planning to make Face ID the primary, and perhaps only, biometric authentication mechanism of all new iPhone devices planned for this year, a prediction made by renowned industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in October.

The reports also arrive amid speculation that Apple’s sales figures for the iPhone X have turned out to be much lower than anticipated, prompting Apple to reduce production of the device. While a disappointing performance might have been expected to cool Apple’s enthusiasm for Face ID, many believe the real issue with respect to sales was simply the iPhone X’s thousand-dollar price tag, with the general consensus among reviewers and users being that the device, and particularly its facial recognition system, are of a high quality.

As for Touch ID, Apple’s pioneering fingerprint recognition system, there are not yet any indications that it’s going to make a comeback, though rivals’ success in implementing in-display fingerprint recognition may prompt Apple to consider that approach as a competitive measure. Face ID, meanwhile, is expected to return in new LCD iPhone and two flagship OLED iPhones planned for release later this year.

Sources: 9to5Mac, The Investor

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