Now thanks to Rod Hall from investment firm J.P. Morgan, he is backing up those rumors with a report of his own. According to Hall, he claims that Apple is expected to introduce a 3D laser scanning module to the iPhone 8. This module is expected to be used for facial scanning, as well possible AR use in the future.
The 3D laser scanner is said to possibly replace Touch ID as a security tool for logging into one’s iPhone. Touch ID at the moment is said to have a 1 in 50,000 error rate, but apparently this laser scanning module will be far more accurate even at its earliest implementations. This is actually not the first time that we’ve heard that Apple could be looking to replace Touch ID with a different security tool, although previously we had heard that it might be an iris scanner, not a facial scanner.
In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but this year’s iPhone rumors are certainly all over the place, more so than usual. It’s hard to tell which will be the real deal and which are simply guesses/predictions, so maybe try not to get your hopes up just yet.