Hidden iPhone Face ID Will Work Underneath the Screen, But When?

One of the biggest obstacles to removing the notch from the front of the iPhone has been the sophisticated cameras and sensors needed to power Face ID, but it looks like Apple hasn’t given up on its plans to find a way to make this work through the screen.

A few years ago, many believed that Apple would be willing to give up on Face ID entirely just to get rid of the unsightly notch. Instead, some said, Apple would move back to Touch ID, with an in-display fingerprint scanner similar to what’s found on many Android smartphones.

While many folks understandably feel that the notch is a distraction, Apple has arguably gone the other way, embracing the notch to the point of adding it to the most recent MacBook Pro lineup. Plus, under-display Touch ID now appears to be entirely off the table.

Nevertheless, change is the only fundamental constant in life, and it’s no surprise that Apple will eventually opt for a new design. That could come as soon as this year, with reports that the “iPhone 14 Pro” lineup will gain a pill-and-hole design instead.

It’s safe to say that’s not Apple’s endgame, however. While we seriously doubt Apple will give up on Face ID — if anything, it’s investing even more heavily in the technology — it’s undoubtedly looking for ways to improve the iPhone’s aesthetics.

Even if the changes rumored to come to this year’s iPhone Pro lineup turn out to be accurate, it’s hard to argue that a pill-shaped cutout is a vast improvement over the notch. An improvement, sure, but only a small step at best.

That’s even more true if the pill will be accompanied by a hole, which seems more likely if the latest renders are to be believed. There have been reports that Apple will hide the hole since that’s expected to contain only the dot projector for Face ID, which could conceivably be made to work through the display. However, if Apple were going to do that, the pill-shaped cutout would almost certainly be centered at the top of the display since it would be the only part peeking through. The problem is that’s not what the most recent schematics and renders are showing us.

Under-Display Face ID by 2024?

A new report from Korea’s The Elec reveals that Samsung has been working on “a new under panel camera technology” for Apple that would be explicitly designed to hide Face ID under the display, and which could arrive as soon as next year’s “iPhone 15” lineup.

The report suggests that Apple will reserve this for the ”iPhone 15 Pro” models, similar to how the new pill-and-hole design may only come to the “iPhone 14 Pro” later this year. If that’s true, though, it’s unclear what Apple might do with the standard “iPhone 15.”

Under panel Face ID will hide the sensor when it is not in use. This works in essence exactly like the under panel camera, or UPC, technology that Samsung Display has applied to the panels of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 that launched last year.The Elec

According to The Elec, the technology would be similar to what’s already found on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, that’s not very reassuring. Most reviews have panned the quality of the front camera on that particular smartphone, suggesting it’s merely “okay” but not as good as it should be.

Of course, Apple isn’t about to go for “merely okay.” Hence, it’s fair to assume that Samsung Display is working on improving the technology, but also that Apple won’t be going down that road until it has something that meets its more exacting standards.

This suggests that 2023 might be premature, and display analyst Ross Young agrees.

As an analyst whose entire world revolves around display technology, Young has a pretty solid track record when it comes to this aspect of Apple’s products.

He’s already predicted that next year Apple simply plans to expand upon the hole punch and pill cutout design that’s expected to debut on the “iPhone 14 Pro.” Young says that any more sophisticated display improvements will have to wait until 2024, when the “iPhone 16” arrives.

This sounds like it’s probably more in line with the way Apple rolls. The iPhone maker doesn’t usually adopt sweeping changes to its lineup every year but takes a more iterative approach.

After all, we’ve been hearing rumors for years that the iPhone’s notch would be going away, yet it’s survived from the 2017 iPhone X to the 2021 iPhone 13 — and will likely remain on at least some of this year’s “iPhone 14” models.

So, it’s reasonable to assume that Apple’s hole and punch design won’t be something that it merely tries out on its way to a more seamless display. Apple probably wouldn’t even bother if this was only a one-year plan — it might as well just keep the notch. At this point, though, there’s no guarantee it can develop working under-display Face ID technology even by 2024.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]