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Apple Working on Under-Screen Face ID for iPhone 18 Pro, Says Leaker

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Apple is actively testing an under-display Face ID system on a prototype iPhone 18 Pro model with a single hole-punch camera in its display, claimed a Chinese leaker on Monday.

iPhone-Top-Left-Hole-Punch-Face-ID-Feature.jpg

According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing under-display 3D facial recognition for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models, which are expected to launch next year.

Digital Chat Station has sources in the Apple supply chain, as evidenced by previous claims by the leaker that have later turned out to be accurate. The leaker's latest claim corroborates a report by The Information over the weekend that said Apple's two-generations-away iPhone 18 Pro models will likely feature under-screen Face ID, with only a small hole in the top-left corner of the screen to accommodate the front-facing camera.

Under-display Face ID presents a major engineering challenge, as it requires Apple to integrate complex infrared facial recognition sensors beneath the iPhone's OLED display without compromising accuracy or reliability.

Unlike a simple front-facing camera, Face ID relies on projecting and reading thousands of infrared dots to create a detailed depth map of the user's face. OLED panels naturally block or scatter much of this infrared light, making it difficult for the system to function properly under the screen.

To overcome this, Apple is likely testing ways to allow more IR light through specific parts of the display while minimizing distortion and maintaining image fidelity. This will probably require redesigning both the hardware components and the software algorithms to compensate for signal loss and optical interference. Apple would have to make sure it matches the performance and security of the current Face ID system before it's ready for widespread adoption.

Meanwhile, for the front-facing selfie camera, Apple is said to be using a single HIIA (hole-in-active-area) hole punch in the active display area. HIAA is a display manufacturing technique developed by Samsung and other display makers that integrates front-facing cameras into OLED panels without compromising too much screen real estate. The technique involves precisely drilling a small hole within the active pixel area using laser micro-drilling.

According to Digital Chat Station, the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18 Air will continue to use the current two front-facing sensor holes and one for the camera, concealed within the Dynamic Island. Apple is now expected to launch the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e in spring 2027 – a full six months after the iPhone 18 Pro models – as part of a rejigged split iPhone annual launch strategy, as per The Information report and since corroborated by industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Article Link: Apple Working on Under-Screen Face ID for iPhone 18 Pro, Says Leaker
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/05/apple-testing-under-display-face-id-iphone-18-pro/
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Although sounds pretty nice, I rarely notice the Island when using. I also rarely consume media on my iPhone, so this isn’t really an issue or a complaint I have about my iPhone. I have a television for that, or when traveling my iPad or we bring the Apple TV to attach to away TVs.
 
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these leakers are always passing on info in the toilets.

That’s why they are called leakers because they operate by going for a leak and are leaky.

They can be spotted in the office or factory because they often drink a lot of water. Or are loitering around the water dispenser.
 
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Can’t wait for commenters switching their complaints from the island to the pin hole camera. Will Apple put if off center?
 
airwalk331 said:
Apple just can’t seem to get rid of that black hole at the top of the screen, can they?
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It’s never just a matter of putting it under the screen. What most people don’t realize is that so far no one has been able to hide the camera hole perfectly while not in use, and no one has been able to do an under screen camera which doesnt suffer from image quality loss. We also don’t know how much the LCD/OLED screen structure impacts the actual FaceID components like the dot projector. Apple always waits for mature technology because they know Apple fans can’t handle the teething pains that come with new technology; if it isn't done perfectly we’d get a bunch of people whining about #underscreengate

I like the Dynamic Island functionality so I hope it doesn’t goes away even with a centered hole punch camera; also it Apple were to drops DI UX functionality after just four years there is less incentive for developers to include future UX functionality.
 
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darngooddesign said:
It’s never just a matter of putting it under the screen. What most people don’t realize is that so far no one has been able to hide the camera hole perfectly while not in use, and no one has been able to do an under screen camera which doesnt suffer from image quality loss. We also don’t know how much the LCD/OLED screen structure impacts the actual FaceID components like the dot projector. I like the Dynamic Island functionality so I hope it doesn’t goes away even with a centered hole punch camera; also it Apple were to drops DI UX functionality after just four years there is less incentive for developers to include future UX functionality.
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Sure but this cutout is like 5x the size of the galaxy phones. It’s distracting when viewing most types of media- pictures, watching anything 🤷‍♂️

You have this beautiful display with a big hole at the top of the screen!
 
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airwalk331 said:
Sure but this cutout is like 5x the size of the galaxy phones. It’s distracting when viewing most types of media- pictures, watching anything 🤷‍♂️

You have this beautiful display with a big hole at the top of the screen!
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Very little media, when viewed normally, is actually affected by the DI. You would have to fit videos to width to see it at which point you are cropping off the top and bottom of the videos. My point and hope is that the DI (Dynamic Circle???) will stay as a UX element but will just be smaller. If so the hole punch will still be centered.
 
darngooddesign said:
It’s never just a matter of putting it under the screen. What most people don’t realize is that so far no one has been able to hide the camera hole perfectly while not in use, and no one has been able to do an under screen camera which doesnt suffer from image quality loss. We also don’t know how much the LCD/OLED screen structure impacts the actual FaceID components like the dot projector. Apple always waits for mature technology because they know Apple fans can’t handle the teething pains that come with new technology; if it isn't done perfectly we’d get a bunch of people whining about #underscreengate

I like the Dynamic Island functionality so I hope it doesn’t goes away even with a centered hole punch camera; also it Apple were to drops DI UX functionality after just four years there is less incentive for developers to include future UX functionality.
Click to expand...
and lets not forget beside all of these...just to put that early tech in so many iphones..so mass production is also an issue
 
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darngooddesign said:
Very little media, when viewed normally, is actually affected by the DI. You would have to fit videos to width to see it at which point you are cropping off the top and bottom of the videos. My point and hope is that the DI (Dynamic Circle???) will stay as a UX element but will just be smaller. If so the hole punch will still be centered.
Click to expand...
Disagree about the “very little media”. That’s subjective. Everything displayed in the phone has the hole on it.
 
airwalk331 said:
Disagree about the “very little media”. That’s subjective. Everything displayed in the phone has the hole on it.
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Well that’s not true. The DI is usually in the side letterbox bars, instead of in the actual photos and videos, unless you have zoomed in at which point you are cropping off the top and bottom which IMO is just as bad. But I think it’s subjective because i can ignore the DI off to the side in the same way I could ignore the Notch which was also off to the side.
 
darngooddesign said:
Well that’s not true. The DI is usually in the side letterbox bars, instead of in the actual photos and videos, unless you have zoomed in at which point you are cropping off the top and bottom which IMO is just as bad. But I think it’s subjective because i can ignore the DI off to the side in the same way I could ignore the Notch which was also off to the side.
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For the content (and apps I’m using to view) it is true. Most apps I use (non video viewing) also have the big gaping hole at the top which frequently hide media/content until I manipulate the screen to see.

At the end of the day- you’ve got this large gorgeous screen with a large hole at the top of it. Nothing will change that until Apple addresses it.
 
airwalk331 said:
For the content (and apps I’m using to view) it is true. Most apps I use (non video viewing) also have the big gaping hole at the top which frequently hide media/content until I manipulate the screen to see.

At the end of the day- you’ve got this large gorgeous screen with a large hole at the top of it. Nothing will change that until Apple addresses it.
Click to expand...
I have no problem ignoring the DI, but I wouldn’t say no if Apple reduces it to a circle, centered at the top of the screen.
 
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I do want the island to go away. But...I really like the info it gives for live events. So, if Apple actually gets this to work, it would be nice to see some way of keeping live event info.
 
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