It Is Estimated That The IPhone Fold Will Not Be Equipped With Touch ID Under The Screen

JAKARTA - According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the claim that the upcoming iPhone Fold will use Touch ID under the screen is not true.

The very thin thickness of the iPhone Fold makes the possibility of using Face ID look small, although Kuo doesn't explicitly say it's impossible. However, he emphatically stated that the iPhone Fold won't have Touch ID under the scenes.

Specifically, Kuo wrote on his blog that Touch ID would be placed on the side button. Apple first introduced Touch ID on the side button on the iPad Air 4 of 2020, which was referred to as the "extraordinary engineering achievement" at the time.

Face ID is not expected to be used even though Kuo only mentions the possibility of being absent due to space requirements for the technology. Touch ID under the scenes has indeed been researched by Apple, even the company has obtained patents for the technology.

However, the patent includes both Touch ID and Face ID, so the main obstacle is the required component size. While Apple may have found a way to detect touch or face through the screen, this technology may still be too expensive for mass production.

Regarding manufacturing, Kuo also repeated previous claims about schedule and projected sales volume. He said that the final design would be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2025, with production scheduled for the end of 2026.

Kuo estimates the iPhone Fold will be launched simultaneously with the iPhone 18 line. He predicts sales of 3 million to 5 million iPhone Fold units in 2026, increasing to a potential of 20 million units by 2027.

This figure also includes sales of the second generation iPhone Fold, which according to Kuo will be released alongside the iPhone 19 line.

Kuo again gave very specific details that he also reiterated earlier claims that the iPhone Fold will have a thickness of between 9 mm and 9.5 mm when closed, and between 4.5 mm and 4.8 mm when opened.

However, Kuo's report now always mixes between information from its supply chain sources and estimates based on previous experiences with Apple. Again, he did not mention which one was the basis for this report.

Even so, Kuo was previously proven to be one of Apple's more accurate leakers. However, he once claimed that the iPhone Fold will be released in 2024 and has Touch ID under the scenes.