At this point, we have a very high level of confidence that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 will not include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. There have been numerous reports from reliable sources stating that this will be the case, and our own sources have mirrored their claims. That’s what makes the new video that leaked on Tuesday morning so perplexing.
The newly leaked video was posted to Chinese microblogging site Weibo, and it supposedly shows a factory worker in China testing the Touch ID scanner on Apple’s new iPhone 8. The scanner on the phones shown in the video is clearly mounted on the back of the handsets, and the equipment shown clearly appears as though it is verifying that Touch ID is working properly.
In the video, the testing station is labeled “Mesa,” which is indeed Apple’s codename for Touch ID. The equipment all appears to be real and functional, and it also appears to be verifying Touch ID functionality when the factory worker places his or her finger on a rear-mounted scanner.
We can also see a vertically oriented dual rear camera on the back of the phone. Some people thought that the video might show the iPhone 7s Plus, but we’re expecting the same old design on that phone, so the rear cameras should be configured just as they are on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any conclusive answers for you regarding this video. In our opinion, there’s no way that this is the iPhone 8. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the iPhone 8 doesn’t have a Touch ID sensor on the back. Is this factory testing knockoffs? Is this an old video that shows someone testing an early iPhone 8 prototype? We have no idea, but you can see the video for yourself below.
