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Rumor: “iPhone Edition” prototype enters final staging, built-in TouchID may not happen

There’s not been a fresh slew of iPhone 8 rumors offering anything new in some time, but new reports surfacing from iDrop News, citing sources with “intimate knowledge of Apple’s manufacturing facility,” suggests some major departures from the leaks we’ve seen so far. Most pertinently, regarding the TouchID fingerprint reader.

Apple has been rumored to ditch the TouchID home button in favor of a fingerprint reader built directly into the screen. It was believed that this would feature on both a flagship, single iPhone design in September, and even potentially a 10.5-inch iPad which has yet to surface. The result would be reduced bezels on both devices.

Secure fingerprint reader

However, these latest reports suggest the fingerprint reader might not only remain, but the TouchID button might head to the rear of the device, like many competing smartphone models. The report says that it’s possible the technology “hasn’t been proven to work in a way that’s secure or dependable enough for use, leading Apple to revert to more reliable technology.”

The result could be that Apple can still pursue a reduced bezel design, but don’t have to rely on screen recognition technology that might not yet be strong enough.

Dual-lens position

There are other, similarly subtle design changes that Apple might make, according to the reports. One being that the dual-lens camera on the iPhone 7 Plus might change to a vertical, rather than horizontal design, while users might also find a metal backing on this new device.

Previously, it was reported Apple would be working towards a glass-based design. The report notes that Apple switched to a metal design “due to the tendency glass has to shatter when dropped.”

Is this what the iPhone Edition will look like?

Is this what the iPhone Edition will look like?

iDrop includes a handful of concept designs to demonstrate these new rumors, and while the majority of these new rumors are feasible, it’s the vertical camera design that looks most odd to us. Either way, it’s interesting to see some new projections on what the next iPhone might look like.

iPhone Edition

Oh, and about that. Finally, the report says that Apple plans to call the device the iPhone Edition. Since the earliest rumors, the device has been referred to as the iPhone 8 for lack of a better option, and considering a radical design isn’t reflective of an ‘s’ cycle. However, the Edition moniker, touted previously, makes a lot of sense for a tenth anniversary iPhone.

And the rumor mill keeps turning…