With all iPhone 15 models said to feature a ‘pill-shaped’ Dynamic Island this year, Apple is reportedly bringing a massive cosmetic change in 2024. The company is said to introduce under-screen Face ID to its premium iPhone models, which will presumably be called the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Ultra will continue to feature a front-facing camera cutout, but Face ID components will be concealed
There are expected to be manufacturing challenges with incorporating under-screen Face ID cameras, which is why it has taken manufacturers so long to implement regular front-facing sensors behind the display. The Elec reports that the 2024 iPhones will get this change, but the way this Face ID variant will behave is a little different.
When the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Ultra will be brought forward for authentication purposes, only the lens of the front-facing camera will be visible, not the other components such as the TrueDepth unit or dot projector. This change will increase the overall screen-to-body ratio and provide deeper immersion for the user. Sadly, this technology will not debut with the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Ultra because it is not ready yet.
Also, embedding components underneath the display ruins the image quality, so we are not sure how Apple will maintain the authentication accuracy of the TrueDepth camera while it is covered by an entire OLED panel. Fortunately, if Apple believes that there is no compromise in the quality, it will eventually switch to an under-screen camera, thereby providing a ‘full-screen’ iPhone experience without any display cutouts at any part of the handset.
Unfortunately, it will likely take a few years before Apple believes that the quality of these parts matches its requirements. Also, we should not be surprised if the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Ultra continues to ship with a Dynamic Island, as Apple can run into hardware development roadblocks at any time.
News Source: The Elec
