Is Apple about to switch things up? With the company’s ugly 2019 iPhone redesign now a stone-cold certainty, a genuinely surprising report reveals Apple is designing a very different iPhone which millions will want.  

Popular Chinese site Global Times delivers the head-turning news that Apple will launch a new budget-friendly iPhone which drops Face ID in favour of an in-display Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The phone is tipped to launch first in China, but it has the potential to be a worldwide smash. 

Little else is known about the iPhone at this stage, but Global Times’ source states the motivation for the phone is to "save on costs" as it battles to win back Chinese market share. In recent years local brands Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have taken control by mixing cutting-edge designs with prices that substantially undercut Apple’s iPhones. 

The move would make sense. Global Times notes that over 85% of the Chinese market belongs to smartphones priced under 4,000 yuan ($580). Apple used to cover that market with the iPhone SE when it launched at just $399, but the company’s subsequent strategy of filling the gap with iPhones several generations old does not seem to be working. 

Moreover, Apple has clearly been developing the tech to make such an iPhone happen. Since December, Apple has filed no less than five (1,2,3,4,5) in-display Touch ID patents, including breakdowns with photography and information that reveals the tech has the potential not just to scan your fingerprint but 3D model it. 

How much should we trust Global Times? Given the news is a shock, it’s smart to exercise caution and there’s no date attached to the device’s launch. That said, insiders have already stated in-display Touch ID will return to 2020 iPhones alongside Face ID (and the designs look mouthwatering). Touch ID has also already begun its renaissance by coming to the Macbook Pro and MacBook Air. 

Wanting something to happen and it actually happening are two very different things, but there’s little doubt in my mind that a budget iPhone with Touch ID built into the display would be a global hit. And with 2019 now clearly the wrong year to upgrade your iPhone, there’s no harm in waiting to see how this one pans out. 

Source: Forbes