It seems almost certain that Face ID will be built into the iPhone 18 Pro’s display, and a new report says that the front camera will also be hidden under the screen in the 2027 iPhone.
This would indicate that the 20th anniversary iPhone could be the first to feature a full display, free of any form of cutout…
Apple’s long-term goal for the iPhone is believed to be what former design chief Jony Ive referred to as a “single pane of glass.” That is, there are no visible edges and no cutouts in the screen.
It has been widely speculated that the company will make an all-out effort to achieve something that matches this description for the iPhone that celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2027. This would require the company to include a Face ID and front-facing camera module under the screen.
Face ID in the screen
We know from Apple’s patents that the company has been working on in-display Face ID for a number of years. The idea is to integrate both the dot transmitter and receiver under the screen, so that the technology doesn’t need to be interrupted. Once this is achieved, Apple could drop the Dynamic Island and replace it with a single punch-hole for the front camera.
Many reliable reports have indicated that Apple will introduce this technology in the iPhone 18 Pro next year thanks to solving one of the basic problems in this technology.
This will replace the current Dynamic Island with a punch-hole camera.
Front camera on screen
Embedding the front camera below the screen is a bigger challenge.
Although this has been technically possible for some time, it has been a huge success in quality. Android prototypes with this feature revealed images with poor levels of contrast and detail as light passed through the display layers. Given the emphasis Apple places on iPhone camera quality, this has not been a viable option yet.
However, a leaker with a good track record today suggests that Apple will finally make the move in 2027. Digital chat station The company plans to integrate the under-screen camera alongside Face ID into at least one iPhone, the company says.
Apple’s plan for an under-display front camera is for 2027.
Take 9to5Mac
There’s good reason to expect Touch ID built into the iPhone 18 Pro next year, and there’s also no doubt that Apple’s long-term plan is to be able to hide the front camera under the screen as well.
The 20th Anniversary iPhone Edition would be a good time to do so. Instead of being branded as the iPhone 19 Pro, the company may instead choose to use premium branding to celebrate the achievement, similar to the iPhone
While I very much hope this is the case, it’s worth noting that the company hasn’t paid much attention to its founding anniversaries in the past. Apple releases technology when it deems it good enough to meet its standards rather than meeting specific deadlines. For now, I’m putting this in the “it’ll be good” category rather than considering it a reliable prediction.
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