Apple is said to be researching a thinner Face ID module for the iPhone Air 2 and the folding iPhone. It's easy to see how this could benefit a future MacBook Pro.
It's already been repeatedly reported that the expected iPhone Fold will use Touch ID because the Face ID module is too thick. But regardless of what happens with future generations of the iPhone Fold, a new report claims Apple is aiming to slim down the module for the iPhone Air.
According to Instant Digital on Weibo (in translation), Apple is "customizing an ultra-thin Face ID component." Instant Digital does have a reasonable track record, but he or she has not reported any further details about Face ID.
The leak also does not cover when the iPhone Air 2 can be expected. Most rumors claim that it will be in 2027, although at least one believes it will be 2026.
Those rumors have chiefly said that there will be few visible differences in the iPhone Air 2, other than speculation of Apple adding a second rear camera.
Yet if it is correct that Apple is working on an ultra-thin Face ID module, it would presumably not only benefit the iPhone Air. For instance, it could conceivably make it possible to have Face ID on a MacBook Pro — at least six years since Apple was first rumored to be doing this.
Then, too, the iPhone Fold should be an obvious beneficiary. It's not the case that the iPhone Fold is expected to be two of the iPhone Air models joined by a hinge, but that is about the size of it.
Consequently, if a thinner Face ID module can go into the iPhone Air, in theory it could go into at least a second or later generation of the iPhone Fold.
For now, though, there is nothing in this leak to claim that the first iPhone Fold will use Face ID. It has previously, and repeatedly, been reported to be using only Touch ID.
