Apple analyst forecasts under-display face biometrics on 2023 iPhones

Under-display Face ID biometrics are coming to Apple devices in 2023, replacing the “notch” that has up to now contained the iPhone’s TrueDepth infrared camera will an all-front screen, according to Apple Insider, which cites prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In an investor note, Kuo says the new face biometric technology will debut on a 2023 iPhone. Much of the note was dedicated to the new 48-megapixel camera coming to the iPhone in 2022.

A series of patent filings by Apple have hinted at the company’s work on under-display biometric cameras, with the latest published in February. Kuo declines to delve into the details of the new system, however.

Between now and 2023, Kuo speculates the Apple may launch devices with hole-punch camera designs, similar to the Galaxy S10 and other devices.

Secure enclave upgraded for older iPhones

An Apple Platform Security note reveals that the company upgraded the secure enclave in a range of its iPhones to its second-generation Secure Storage Component, as noted by Forbes.

The secure enclave is part of the Axx processor design, and stores TouchID and FaceID biometric data, as well as the device passcode.

The note contains an entire chapter on hardware security and biometrics, which explains details about the secure enclave’s true random number generator and AES engine, among other features.

Apple devices running its A12, A13, S4 and S5 system-on-chips (SoCs) and released in the Fall of 2020 or later have the updated secure enclave. These devices may include the newer version of iPhone SE, and the iPhone 11 line, though as Forbes points out, there is some ambiguity between whether the upgrade applies to products newly released as of Fall, 2020, or devices shipped as of then.

The secure enclave upgrade could be a response to device-cracking technologies like GrayKey from Grayshift.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  iPhone  |  research and development  |  smartphones