Rumors about the iPhone 16 series have been circulating even before the iPhone 15 was released. Reportedly, the iPhone 16 Pro, which will launch next year, will use Face ID technology under the screen.
A report from South Korean media The Elec says Apple will place the sensor needed for Face ID under the screen. When not in use, the TrueDepth camera for Face ID will not be visible below the screen so it looks to blend in with the surrounding screen area.
The report confirms that the punch-hole for the iPhone 16 Pro front camera will still be there, only the Face ID camera has been moved to the bottom of the screen. But the overall display area will be increased.
The Elec added that Apple also plans to use the front-facing camera below the screen, not just the Face ID camera, for future iPhones. This design change has the potential to eliminate any type of notch or punch-hole on the iPhone screen.
This prediction is in accordance with the roadmap revealed by DSCC analyst Ross Young in May 2022. In his tweet on Twitter, Young predicts that the iPhone 16 will still use Dynamic Island with a pill-shaped notch and a circle, while the iPhone 16 Pro uses a punch-hole and Face ID under the screen. .
As for the front camera technology and the under-screen Face ID camera, Young's prediction says it will debut on the iPhone 18 Pro in 2026, as quoted from MacRumors, Wednesday (11/1/2023).
Under-screen camera technology has been implemented by several cellphone vendors, including ZTE and Samsung, but the quality is still not optimal. Moving the Face ID camera to the bottom of the screen will certainly be more challenging than the usual front camera because the TrueDepth camera is tasked with mapping and analyzing the user's face for biometric purposes.
Apple itself is currently still using the traditional notch design on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, as well as Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
According to rumors that have been circulating, all iPhone 15 variants will use Dynamic Island technology. If rumors about under-screen Face ID for the iPhone 16 Pro come true, chances are Dynamic Island won't last long.