Apple might replace the iPhone's home button and fingerprint sensor with a MacBook Pro like touch-bar function area. The iPhone 8 will be launched sometime this year and the changes are expected in the OLED version of the phone. Virtual versions of the home button and the fingerprint sensor will be integrated into the function area.
As reported by MacRumors, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicts that the 5.8 inch-iPhone 8 will feature an OLED screen and the virtual bar. Kou believes that Apple will also launch the standard 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD versions of the iPhone 8 which will retain the home button.
The OLED version will have same dimensions as a 4.7-inch LCD iPhone, but will feature a bezel-less 5.8-inch screen with a 5.15-inch display area. The function area will cover the rest of the screen.
According to Kuo the two LCD models of the iPhone 8 will only have minor improvements over the iPhone 7. On the other hand, the OLED iPhone 8, rumoured to be priced above $1,000, is likely to have glass back panels to support wireless charging and iris or face recognition technology. Alternatively, the phone might feature an optical fingerprint sensor embedded in the screen. The OLED iPhone might also have a stacked logic board design to accommodate a bigger battery.
Kuo has suggested earlier that the LCD versions of the iPhone 8 might also have glass bodies and wireless charging support.