After bringing Always-on Display (AOD) to iPhone 14 Pro, Apple is said to be working on under-display Face ID. According to a Korean news outlet The Elec, the first iPhone model to get the under-display Face ID technology will allegedly be the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024.
However, in Apple"s case, under-display Face ID doesn"t resemble what ZTE or Samsung did with Axon 40 and Galaxy Z Fold3, respectively. The TrueDepth camera, one of the essential components for Face ID, will live under the display and remain invisible when not in use. When the screen is turned on, it will not be visible either, thus giving users an immersive experience.
However, the camera cutout for the front-facing camera will still be there in the iPhone 16 Pro model. In other words, 2024 will not be the year that will see an all-screen iPhone in action, negating what Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last year.
The report, however, clarifies that Apple is also planning to expand the under-display technology to include regular selfie cameras sometime in the future. Although not enough details have been given, an under-display selfie camera could finally get rid of the notch display or Dynamic Island. However, a notch-less iPhone is unlikely to come anytime soon, as iPhone 15 and 16 models will be equipped with a camera cutout on display.
Based on the technical challenges remaining for under panel cameras to meet discerning brands quality requirements as well as panel manufacturers" cost requirements, I still believe this roadmap makes sense for the iPhone. pic.twitter.com/3ck5X3sVcL
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) May 10, 2022
However, Display Analyst Ross Young famously revealed a roadmap containing the details of when a truly all-screen iPhone will debut. According to the roadmap, the iPhone 18 Pro model will be the first true notch-less iPhone in 2026. Young also claimed last year that Apple would ship iPhone 16 Pro with under-display Face ID and a hole. And now that another source is also suggesting the same, it seems more likely that the iPhone 18 Pro will be truly notch free.
Source: The Elec