Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

[MacRumors]

Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display.

Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will reportedly debut under-screen Face ID technology on iPhone 18 Pro models.

Several Android phones already feature under-display selfie cameras, but image quality typically suffers due to the lens being behind display layers. Apple has likely resisted adoption for this reason, but the company has reportedly been working on its own solution for some time, and we could see it debut as soon as next year in Apple's first foldable iPhone.

According to an April 2024 report, LG Innotek – one of Apple's Korean suppliers – has been developing under-display cameras that leave no visible hole when inactive. These systems use a "freeform optic" multiple lens array designed to reduce image distortion and improve brightness, compensating for the light loss that typically occurs when a camera sits behind a display.

Whether technology related to LG Innotek's work will be used in the foldable iPhone is unclear. Regardless, JP Morgan recently reported that Apple's first foldable will have an industry-first 24-megapixel camera under the inner display. Under-screen cameras typically use 4 or 8 megapixels, suggesting Apple has achieved a breakthrough in greatly improving light transmittance and image quality compared to previous designs.

Apple is reportedly working on a radical redesign for the 20th anniversary iPhone that could feature a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges of the device. There is a strong expectation that Apple will skip "‌iPhone‌ 19" nomenclature. For the 10th anniversary of the ‌iPhone‌ in 2017, Apple skipped the "‌iPhone‌ 9" and simply launched the ‌iPhone‌ X (roman numeral for 10) alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus.

Article Link: Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

 

[MayaUser]

couple of months forward.....this rumour gets delay

 

[andrewsyd]

Can’t wait for the day this happens, if only just to drive my relatives who put bandaids over the cameras absolutely nuts 😅

 

[tomtad]

I'm not sure many people want this. The quality will always be worse and it's no deal having a small dot at the top of the screen. Sure if you can hide the other Face ID sensors do it, but a quality front camera is a selling point. I'm not sure why you'd want to hide it.

 

[Kylo83]

They said 2030 for that

 

[Paddle1]

I'll believe it when I see it. We've been hearing stuff like this for years.

 

[sshambles]

Definitely expected this for the iPhone 20. Will be glad to see it in action.

 

[Tig_one]

They said 3020 for that

Fixed typo for ya.

 

[freezelighter]

By 2027, the era of handheld devices will slowly come to the end. Smartphones will fade into history, replaced by intelligent glasses — a brief transitional phase before humanity adopts AI-powered neural retinal implants. My company has been developing this technology for years — it’s not science fiction anymore, it’s the next evolution and the industrialization will start before 2030.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Why hide it? I’m bound to want to use it at some point!

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

By 2027, the era of handheld devices will slowly come to the end. Smartphones will fade into history, replaced by intelligent glasses — a brief transitional phase before humanity adopts AI-powered neural retinal implants. My company has been developing this technology for years — it’s not science fiction anymore, it’s the next evolution and the industrialization will start before 2030.

Fake AI bubbles

 

[ThomasJL]

If mere fingerprints or light dust can diminish picture quality, imagine how much reduction in picture quality would be caused by putting a camera behind a screen. There is a simple solution to get rid of hole punches and other notches: Bring back bezels:

The bezel-lovers coming out of the closet thread

Bezel-lovers of the world, UNITE! Let's unite under this one thread. It's time for us to come out of the closet and declare our love for bezels. I'll start. I'm ThomasJL, and I'm a bezel-lover. I love how bezels make room for a home button. I love how bezels allow for Touch ID. I love how...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[sunapple]

iPhone 1 through 3GS had the best solution to the selfie problem IMO.

 

[kerr]

If Apple are going to skip a number every decade, rather than 9/19/29, why not skip 4/14/24 instead due to its meaning in Asian cultures?

 

[MAlbi]

By 2027, the era of handheld devices will slowly come to the end. Smartphones will fade into history, replaced by intelligent glasses — a brief transitional phase before humanity adopts AI-powered neural retinal implants. My company has been developing this technology for years — it’s not science fiction anymore, it’s the next evolution and the industrialization will start before 2030.

Honestly I wish you good luck.
I can not take it anymore… so..

Sign me up for premium tier without ads. hehe

 

[tomtad]

By 2027, the era of handheld devices will slowly come to the end. Smartphones will fade into history, replaced by intelligent glasses — a brief transitional phase before humanity adopts AI-powered neural retinal implants. My company has been developing this technology for years — it’s not science fiction anymore, it’s the next evolution and the industrialization will start before 2030.

If anything people are wanting less screen, not to implant one into their brain

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

By 2027, the era of handheld devices will slowly come to the end. Smartphones will fade into history, replaced by intelligent glasses — a brief transitional phase before humanity adopts AI-powered neural retinal implants. My company has been developing this technology for years — it’s not science fiction anymore, it’s the next evolution and the industrialization will start before 2030.

Now, let me ask you a question: Did regular mobile phones disappear after smartphones were invented? Did landline phones vanish after mobile networks emerged? Do petrol stations no longer exist because of electric cars? Let’s be realistic; not all inventions are beneficial for long-term use.

Moreover, it’s important to recognize that not all companies acknowledge their failures regarding future innovations. Apple, for instance, has introduced impressive innovations like the Touch Bar on MacBooks and the butterfly keyboard. Where are those now?

 

[neomorpheus]

Since the main reason why i have an android phone is being able to sideload apps seems to be going away, i might finally get an iphone.

This one looks interesting.

 

[lanceuppercut47]

There is a strong expectation that Apple will skip "‌iPhone‌ 19" nomenclature. For the 10th anniversary of the ‌iPhone‌ in 2017, Apple skipped the "‌iPhone‌ 9" and simply launched the ‌iPhone‌ X (roman numeral for 10) alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus.

I’d be surprised if Apple stay with the X naming convention for their anniversary phones, unless they want to try and market the “iPhone XXX” next time around..

 

[Oberhorst]

Will they also hide the rear camera bump under a thicker battery? I wish we had flush iPhones again... And I don't really want the front camera under the screen, the quality can only be worse.