Apple's Touch ID sensor positioning has been thrown under the spotlight once again, with yet another new position being suggested. 

The Apple iPhone 8 has been subject to so many leaks and rumours that the Cupertino-based company may as well just unveil it now, as hardly anything Tim Cook will say will come as a surprise.

However, the one design aspect of the premium device that has remained unanswered so far is what will Apple do with the Touch ID sensor? The iPhone 8 is expected to follow Samsung's and LG's lead by having an all-screen front panel, meaning the iconic home button will be removed and with it, Touch ID.

For a while, analysts and leaks pointed towards a rear-mounted sensor, but a combination of renders and leaked case designs have seemingly quashed those rumours. It was then widely accepted that Apple had found a way to embed the fingerprint scanner into the display, something its rivals were hoping to do with their 2017 flagships but weren't able to.

An embedded Touch ID sensor still isn't completely out of the question, but it's looking less likely, and so Apple may resort to facial recognition technology instead.

But now a new destination for the Touch ID sensor has been suggested, and it's in the power button. Gordon Kelly of Forbes, and case maker Nodus, have produced a set of renders based on CAD designs for the iPhone 8. They show a much larger power button than the one on current iPhones, with the implication being so it can cater for a Touch ID sensor.

This idea is backed up by a patent application by Apple, that has been granted. It shows a "Finger Biometric Sensor Assembly" in the power button, which interestingly is positioned on the top of the device in the drawing. The sensor would use a thin layer of glass or sapphire to take an accurate reading of your finger, without you having to roll the entire print over it.

If embedding the Touch ID sensor into the screen isn't possible on such a large scale for the iPhone 8's release this year, moving it to the power button could be the next best option. We'd be surprised if Apple removed the functionality completely as it's used not only for unlocking the device, but authorising payments through Apple Pay.