Could Apple be dropping Face ID in favor of an in-display fingerprint sensor for its next iPhone? Considering how intensely Apple fronted Face ID as the iPhone X's most defining feature, this is hard to believe.

But according to a new report, the Cupertino brand might be letting go of it soon.

The report, which many publications consider "sketchy," was published on several Chinese media sites just recently, including Mashdigi. Apparently, Apple is considering making a new iPhone model for the Chinese market as it faces stiff price competition from fierce home court rivals such as Oppo and Huawei.

The report pinpoints Face ID sensor as a key area for cutting costs, and claims that Apple would instead add back Touch ID to its flagship phone lines, either on the back of the device or under the display.

Apple To Drop Face ID In China

Adding credence to this rumor is the fact that Apple has made special accommodations for the Chinese market before. However, never to the extent of potentially removing a significant component from the handset. For example, with the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, Apple sells a physical dual-SIM card model in China. The rest of the world, meanwhile, are limited to a combination of one eSIM and one physical SIM card.

9to5Mac says the report is, as mentioned, "pretty sketchy." While there were certainly rumors of in-display Touch ID ahead of the 2017 iPhone X reveal, Apple quashed all possibilities of that happening by going all in on Face ID, and there's never been any mention of in-display Touch ID implementations ever since.

Why It Doesn't Make Sense

Also, if Apple intends to cut costs, why would it replace Face ID with an in-display Touch ID, which is an advanced form of under-screen fingerprint scanning and is surely an expensive component?

Suppose the rumor is true, that still doesn't answer why Apple would limit such a model to just China. A Face ID-less iPhone is a radical step back from Apple's current design principles, and it doesn't make much sense to invest so much money developing such a device to end up selling it exclusively to the Chinese market.

Still, the tech world is full of surprises. Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more.