Mark Gurman Says Iphone Ultra Will Use Touch ID

Apple's iphone ultra is said to be dropping Face ID for Touch ID. The folding model is rumored to arrive later this year at around $2000. The shift points to one design constraint: the body is too thin for Apple's Face ID sensor array.

Mark Gurman on iphone ultra

Mark Gurman said the device is “too thin to accommodate the Face ID sensor array.” That leaves fingerprint unlock as the most likely option, with the scanner probably housed in the power button.

Thinness over Face ID

The reported tradeoff puts a premium foldable into unusual territory for Apple. If the company uses Touch ID on iphone ultra, buyers will get a different unlock method than the one used on many recent high-end iPhones.

iPhone 18 Pro dimensions

Dummy models purporting to show the dimensions of the iPhone Fold next to the iPhone 18 Pro have already surfaced. They suggest the closed device could be the most diminutive iPhone in years while still packing by far the largest display.

The open question is whether Apple keeps that design with the ultra price tag intact when the folding iPhone reaches customers later this year.