A fresh Apple supply chain report has revealed that Apple’s hotly-anticipated Face ID overhaul and a move to an under-display camera could still be on the cards for the iPhone 16 after the company pulled the plug on orders for the components of its current biometric configuration. 

In 2022, reports suggested that the iPhone 16 would feature under-display Face ID. However, the source of that report, top insider Ross Young, withdrew the initial rumor in 2023 with a revised roadmap pointing to the change coming with the iPhone 17 in 2025 instead. Now, reports of a British microchip plant facing closure have reopened the possibility of the change coming this year instead. 

iPhone 16’s under-display Face ID 

As reported by The Telegraph, a 310,000 sq ft chip facility in County Durham, UK, is facing closure after Apple “pulled the plug” on a “lucrative” supply deal. According to owner Coherent, its primary customer, purported to be Apple, ceased orders at the end of FY 2023. The plant has already laid off 100 staff, with 257 kept on to fulfill its remaining contracts. The news is interesting for iPhone customers because it points to a major change coming to Face ID this year. According to The Telegraph, “the plant manufactures components for Apple that feature in the iPhone’s Face ID recognition system, but that the US giant is believed to have ceased orders due to upcoming changes to the next version of the iPhone.” 

If Apple sticks to its own tried and tested pattern we can expect it to announce the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro handsets later this year and we've been hearing rumors about them since before the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro went on sale last year. One of those rumors centered on talk of a new Capture button being added to the mix, and it's the buttons that are once again causing headlines.

That's because, according to a new supply chain report, Apple is set to change the way buttons work on the upcoming iPhones. There were rumors last year that the iPhone 15 would ditch its clicky buttons in favor of new capacitive ones that would react to being touched. The prospect immediately reminds me of the iPhone 7's Home button, not to mention the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro's non-moving trackpads. Ultimately, Apple decided to stick with its clicky buttons for the current wave of iPhones, but it's thought it may revisit capacitive buttons with its 2024 iPhone refresh.

That's based on information that Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, or ASE, has picked up an order to produce the components required to make capacitive buttons work with Apple's Taptic Engine vibration motors — the motors that would simulate a click when a capacitive button is pressed.

"The 7-megapixel selfie camera is great too, although some might not like the level of detail it preserves – if you have big pores, as I do, be prepared for them to show up. You can always soften these kinds of details after the fact but nevertheless it will look like you woke up 5 minutes later in Videocalls."

At long last, the iPhone 7 is here. At the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Apple continued its traditional naming structure with the introduction of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. We’ve been playing around with the upcoming iOS 10 operating system in beta for the better part of two months, and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will ship with the new OS (read more about iOS 10 here), but we were excited to learn more about the actual phones.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new iPhones, and trust us, there’s a lot of interesting changes.

Waterproof design and durability

The iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus aren’t part of Apple’s major update cycle — you’ll have to wait for next year’s model for that, and of course rumors are already abound — but they do have some awesome new abilities.

Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are (finally!) water- and dust-resistant (IP67), meaning you’re free to get them wet without worry. That means you’ll be able to take either of them underwater for about 30 minutes, up to 1 meter deep.

Read more at http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-iphone-7-news-2-2/#ixzz4JwiYlkSw

Apple introduced the next-generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus at its media event in San Francisco on September 9. The new iPhones feature an A9 chip and M9 motion coprocessor, 3D Touch, 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, stronger glass and Series 7000 aluminum, faster Touch ID, Live Photos and a new Rose Gold color option. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are powered by an Apple A9 chip and embedded M9 motion coprocessor that deliver up to 70% faster CPU performance and up to 90% faster graphics compared to the A8 chip inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. 3D Touch on iPhone is similar to Force Touch on Apple Watch, enabling users to make "peek and pop" gestures on the screen to access actionable shortcuts or preview content, such as text messages, flight information, calendar appointments and more. There's also a new Taptic Engine inside of the iPhone 6s that enables haptic feedback so you get touch-based responses when using 3D Touch. The smartphones feature an improved 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera with 4K video recording and 5-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera with true tone Retina Flash -- in low light, the front display will flash for a split second instead of using a traditional LED flash. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus also have a second-generation Touch ID fingerprint scanner that is up to two times faster compared to Touch ID on previous iPhones. The iPhones are crafted from Series 7000 aluminum and come in a new Rose Gold color, alongside Silver, Space Gray and Gold. Otherwise, the handsets look virtually the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but they are slightly thicker and heavier. The smartphones feature an improved 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera with 4K video recording and 5-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera with true tone Retina Flash -- in low light, the front display will flash for a split second instead of using a traditional LED flash. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus also have a second-generation Touch ID fingerprint scanner that is up to two times faster compared to Touch ID on previous iPhones. The iPhones are crafted from Series 7000 aluminum and come in a new Rose Gold color, alongside Silver, Space Gray and Gold. Otherwise, the handsets look virtually the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but they are slightly thicker and heavier. 

Apple today introduced iPhone 5c, featuring an all-new design in five colors — blue, green, pink, yellow, and white. iPhone 5c is built on a foundation of familiar features like the 4-inch Retina display, blazing fast performance of the A6 chip, and the 8 megapixel iSight camera — all while delivering great battery life. iPhone 5c comes with more LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world, a new FaceTime HD camera, and iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone. “iPhone 5c is everything iPhone 5 was and more, in an all-new design packed with great features,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. iPhone 5c will be available in the U.S. on September 20 for a suggested retail price of $99 for the 16GB model and $199 for the 32GB model, and customers can pre-order their iPhone 5c beginning September 13

Apple today announced iPhone 5s, the most advanced iPhone yet. With its new A7 chip, iPhone 5s is the first smartphone with 64-bit technology, providing blazing-fast performance when launching apps, editing photos, or playing graphic-intensive games. iPhone 5s features an all-new 8-megapixel iSight camera and introduces the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which allows you to securely unlock your phone with the touch of your finger. iPhone 5s comes with iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone. “iPhone 5s is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. iPhone 5s comes in gold, silver, or space gray, and will be available September 20 at the suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model, and $399 for the 64GB model.