The Long Wait for a Seamless Display
For years, Apple enthusiasts have dreamt of a truly edge-to-edge display devoid of cutouts, but it seems the “all-screen” dream is playing a game of musical chairs with release dates. While initial roadmaps from display expert Ross Young suggested we might see under-display Face ID as early as the iPhone 17 Pro, recent intelligence points toward a more conservative 2026 or 2027 debut. This timeline shift suggests that moving the sophisticated infrared sensors behind the OLED matrix without sacrificing biometric security or image quality is proving more difficult than Apple’s engineering teams initially anticipated.
From Dynamic Island to a Minimalist Pinhole
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the transition won’t happen overnight. Instead, we are looking at a staged evolution where the Dynamic Island progressively shrinks as components migrate beneath the glass. Once the Face ID hardware is successfully tucked away, the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to adopt a singular pinhole design for the front-facing camera—a look already common in the Android flagship space. This is the penultimate step toward Jony Ive’s long-standing vision of a single “slab of glass” where even the camera eventually disappears from view.
- Projected Debut: 2026 (iPhone 18 Pro) or 2027 (iPhone 19 Pro).
- Design Shift: Move from the Dynamic Island pill-shape to a single camera punch-hole.
- Technology: Under-screen sensors for infrared Face ID components, with cameras following later.
- End Goal: A completely uninterrupted, “true” all-screen display.
Editor’s Comment : While some might find the delays frustrating, especially with competitors already rocking minimal punch-holes, Apple’s hesitation is predictable. Face ID relies on a complex array of sensors, not just a simple lens; if the light transmission through the display isn’t 100% perfect, the security and speed of the device are compromised. I’d rather wait for a polished 2026 implementation than deal with the murky first-gen under-display camera quality seen on other manufacturers’ niche devices.
태그: iPhone 18 Pro, Face ID, Apple Rumors, Dynamic Island, Under-Display Camera, OLED Technology, Ross Young