We’ve been waiting for Apple to deliver the perfect iPhone for years, but we’re not quite there yet. An ideal display has minimal bezels and no holes or notches at the top. Rumors say such screens are in the works at Apple, and the iPhone maker has patented technology that would make cameras and sensors work despite being placed behind the OLED screen.
The iPhone 16 Pro models feature bezels thinner than anything on the market. They’re so thin that they might be hazardous to the iPhone’s integrity. That’s what some iPhone 16 Pro drop tests have shown.
But Apple is nowhere near close to hiding at least some elements of the Dynamic Island under the display. A new report from Korea says that Apple might delay existing plans as the technology isn’t quite where Apple wants it to be. This suggests the iPhone 17 series might not feature a hole-punch display, as some reports suggested.
As a fan of Face ID, I’ve come to realize that no matter how amazing a true all-screen iPhone would be, I value 3D face authentication too much to risk it not working properly once the sensors are moved under the screen. Like the thick camera module on the back, the Dynamic Island is a design compromise I appreciate.
Face ID lets me unlock the screen so quickly that I think I don’t need to enable the Always-On display functionality on my iPhone 14 Pro. In fact, I’m about to lose Always-On as I move to an iPhone 16 Plus.
Face ID also quickly logs me into a bunch of apps on the iPhone. It’s so fast that I don’t even have to think about it. On top of that, iOS 18 lets me add Face ID protection to any app I want.
Over the years, reports have said that Apple planned to move the Face ID components under the display first, followed by the selfie camera. All this seems like the natural evolution of Face ID. It started with a large notch on the iPhone X (above), which Apple shrank a few years later. The iPhone 14 Pros introduced the smaller Dynamic Island pill hole.
Face ID under the display is the next step towards that perfect iPhone display. After all, some Android vendors, including Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold models, feature under-display cameras. It has nothing to do with Face-ID-like authentication.
Also, none of the main flagship Android phones out there are ready to ditch the hole-punch display design. The under-panel camera performance isn’t comparable to traditional selfie cams.
However, The Elec reports that Apple has delayed the deployment of under-display Face ID tech. Apple isn’t happy with the maturity of current solutions that Samsung and LG can offer.
The Face ID system projects thousands of dots on your face that help map its uniqueness. An infrared camera then captures the resulting image and compares it to data stored on the phone. That’s how the authentication process works.
Therefore, the Face ID components have to beam the pattern of dots and then capture it through the layers of an OLED panel in a scenario where the Face ID system is placed under the screen.
Any camera system under the display would need to receive enough light to work properly. Also, diffraction can be a problem for the infrared light passing through the display towards the user’s face.
Apple also wants multiple display vendors ready to manufacture screens with under-display Face ID capabilities. Samsung Display is the most advanced, but Apple needs LG and BOE to catch up. This would ensure enough supply and lower manufacturing costs, as Apple would not depend on a single parts supplier for such a critical component.
The Elec further notes that Apple has not decided whether to bring under-display Face ID tech to a traditional candybar phone or have the technology ready for a foldable product. Other reports say Apple will release a foldable MacBook/iPad before a foldable iPad. There’s no release date for the foldable computer, however.
The report says that Samsung and LG are developing technologies to enable under-display Face ID. However, it’s unclear when they’ll be ready.
