Apple iPhone with under-screen Touch ID coming in 2023, iPhone foldable in 2024

Less than one whole week after the Apple Event gave us the iPhone 13, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is already looking ahead to the future – and it sounds like delays are forecast.

Sharing his thoughts on what Apple could have in store for its users over the next few years, Kuo has dropped some hints around the widely-rumored iPhone with under-display Touch ID and the ever-elusive foldable iPhone. But just don't expect too much in the way of detail.

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In a research note first seen by MacRumors, Kuo claims that the iPhone 14 Pro models will feature the much-awaited hole-punch camera that's been doing the rounds on the internet for some time now, plus a rear camera system with a 48-megapixel Wide lens. Accordingly, then, Apple enthusiasts shouldn't expect any major iPhone rear camera redesign until at least the iPhone 14 Pro models – especially one that adopts a hole-punch display design akin to the best Android phones.

As for under-screen Touch ID biometrics, Kuo originally tipped this for the second half of 2022, say the folks over at MacRumors, but he now doesn't expect models with this feature to be released until at least the second half of 2023. It's a shame for those who were potentially expecting this sooner, but it's allegedly down to "slower than expected progress with development," with Kuo also now expecting Apple's first foldable iPhone to launch in 2024, as opposed to 2023. 

It's early days

It's a relatively downbeat forecast, but still an early one at that. Though Kuo stopped short of providing any further details like, say, when the best iPhone models could get an under-screen fingerprint sensor, it seems increasingly likely that under-screen Touch ID would be paired up with Face ID, expanding the options users have to authenticate themselves on their device.

That said, no one really has an inkling at this stage as to Apple's future plans, so it's best to take all of the above with a sizable pinch of salt until firmer news arrives in these here parts.