iPhone 8 Will Avoid the Galaxy S8’s Most Damaging Flaw

Apple has reportedly figured out how to integrate an optical Touch ID sensor directly into the iPhone 8’s display, clearing the one hurdle that tripped up Samsung’s Galaxy S8.

The report comes from Chinese language Economic Daily News (EDN) via Mac Rumors, citing sources from within the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), an Apple supplier.

Previous reports suggested the iPhone 8 would be delayed beyond its expected September unveiling and release because of difficulty with an embedded fingerprint sensor. But EDN‘s sources claim that Apple will be ready for rollout in the second half of 2017, right on schedule.

The iPhone 8’s screen size could get a boost from more than just the removal of the physical home button and the edge-to-edge design. EDN‘s sources echoed another recent leak claiming Apple will make the move to a larger aspect ratio from its current 16:9 setup, shifting to an 18:5:9 aspect ratio, just like the Galaxy S8.

An embedded Touch ID will avoid marring the iPhone’s otherwise sleek, largely button-free design with an awkward rear-positioned sensor. Recently leaked images out of China claimed to show off a finalized version of the iPhone 8 sporting a Touch ID button on its back — but if this new report is true, those images can be dismissed.

If Apple really did crack the embedded Touch ID code, the iPhone 8 will look even more attractive when compared to the Galaxy S8, which is a damn good phone even with the awkward sensor. The placement did little to hurt S8’s sales — but every advantage Apple can claim over its competitors could make the expected super cycle of iPhone sales even stronger.