iPhone 9 release date, specs rumors: Facial recognition instead of Touch ID? Display could rival Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

A promotional image of the Apple iPhone X. Apple

Apple launched their newest smartphones, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, only a couple of months ago. However, the rumor mill is already starting to churn for the next model, temporarily dubbed the iPhone 9. Rumor has it that the iPhone 9 could feature some very high-tech features that can only be currently seen on the iPhone X. This poses the question of whether the iPhone 9 will have a Touch ID scanner or not. Apple took the feature out with the iPhone X and replaced it with a facial recognition feature called Face ID.

As for the iPhone 9, it is possible that there will be no Touch ID anymore. Instead, Apple might lean towards integrating Face ID. Meanwhile, for those who still prefer the Touch ID feature, it is still available for the iPhone 8.

As for the display, the iPhone 9 is also said to give the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus a run for its money. It seems that in keeping with this year's three models — iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X — the iPhone 9 could have three variants as well. According to Nikkei Asian Review, two models could have the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display of the iPhone X while one variant will have the standard LCD screen.

The iPhone 9 is also rumored to come in different colors, which might suggest that it will take the place of the previously released iPhone 5C.

The iPhone 9 has no official release date yet, seeing as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X have only been on the market for a few months. However, the iPhone 9's launch date will most likely be revealed before the end of 2018. Moreover, Apple tends to release their new smartphone models around the same time, so it is most likely that the iPhone 9 will come out in September or October of next year.

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