Recent reports are suggesting that Apple is going to launch an iPhone exclusively for the Chinese market — to compete with Chinese manufacturers like HUAWEI — and this iPhone will be sporting an under-display fingerprint sensor.
It’s not the first time Apple has made adjustments for the Chinese market; the latest iPhones that support dual SIM in China uses two physical SIM cards while other countries are given the pairing of an eSIM and a physical SIM card.
That being said, the Chinese media reported that Apple is not adding the under-display fingerprint sensor to its Face ID on the iPhone; instead, they’re replacing it. This is a rather big move since Apple has been removing Touch ID since last year, making it seem like it’s a step backward for Apple.
It is also believed that removing Face ID will be cost-saving and result in the iPhone getting a smaller notch, or maybe no notch at all. This will probably give Apple a better chance of competing with local manufacturers like OPPO and HUAWEI. It’d be great if Apple decides to add the under-display fingerprint sensor instead of replacing it, but that’ll probably just increase its already premium price.
Either way, even if these reports are true — we’re still highly doubting it — it’ll probably be the 2020 iPhones, not this year’s.