Barclays analysts say iPhone 13 will ‘likely’ include in-screen Touch ID this year

A new investor note published today by analysts at Barclays Research says that the iPhone 13 models coming later this year will “likely” have under-screen Touch ID support. The report also corroborates other details about the iPhone 13, including that the devices will feature a smaller notch.

Perhaps most interestingly, the analysts say the iPhone 13 will feature support for in-screen Touch ID, citing “extensive industry conversations.” This comes as both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal have reported that in-screen Touch ID is something in testing for the iPhone 13.

Notably, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated in an investor note earlier this month that there is “no visibility on the current schedule for the iPhone” to adopt Touch ID this year in the power button, but he did not comment on in-screen rumors.

The Barclays analysts believe that the iPhone 13 will add “fingerprint-under-glass” this year as the “security feature of the future.” The Barclays analysts write (via MacRumors):

For the 2H22 product cycle, we anticipate an architectural shift from structured light to time-of-flight, allowing for an even smaller footprint. Based on our industry conversations, we do not think structured light beneath the screen is likely to be ready for mass deployment in 2H22. We also view the adoption of fingerprint-under-glass, that likely is added in the 2H21 iPhones, as a structural headwind for additional 3D sensing content at Apple and could be the security feature of the future.

Elsewhere in the investor note, Barclays Research predicts that the iPhone 13 notch will be smaller this year thanks to changes to the design of the structured light system. The new design will be “more tightly integrated,” which is similar to what has also been reported by Macotakara. The rear-facing LiDAR Scanner is also likely to remain exclusive to the “Pro” models this year.

Finally, the Barclays Research report teases that Apple has a “bigger shift” planned for the design of the notch in 2022. This comes after Kuo reported that the 2022 iPhone 14 Pro models will ditch the notch altogether in favor of a hole-punch design similar to what’s used by some Android flagships.

The exact branding of the 2021 iPhone remains unclear. Internally, Apple has reportedly referred to this yer as an “S” year in terms of updates, but Apple’s marketing names are often kept under wraps until announcement.