Under-screen Face ID will appear in 2016 iPhone 18 Pro

Under-screen Face ID always seems to be a year away, and the latest rumor now pins it to the 2026 iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models.

Writing on X/Twitter in April, Display Supply Consultants' Ross Young's original roadmap claimed that an under-screen Face ID iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max would replace the existing camera notch with only pinhole front-facing cameras.

However, Young has tweaked that a bit. He says he has heard that under-screen Face ID is being pushed back a year to 2026.

If his revised prediction is correct, the 2026 iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will now be the first to replace the notch and use under-screen Face ID. Non-Pro models of the iPhone may not gain an under-screen Face ID feature until the iPhone 19, arriving in late 2027.

Young also predicted technical changes to the iPhone 17 range, including a move from low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) to low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) across all models in 2025. Since the iPhone 14 Pro, the LTPO display is what allows the Pro models to have an always-on display while preserving battery life.

Young sticks by his prediction that all models of the iPhone 17, expected in the fall of 2025, will use an LTPO backplane. This suggests the "always-on" feature will become standard across all models.

33 Comments

9secondkox2 3124 comments · 8 Years

About 6 months ago

Every year, same rumor, same delay story.

VictorMortimer 239 comments · New User

Just put the bezel back.

libertyandfree 189 comments · 11 Years

I really do not care if we ever get an under display FaceID with a pinhole or we just continue with the notch. The notch has zero impact upon me at all and somehow a pinhole in the screen is not going to be a concern for those who dislike the notch. People that dislike the notch will also dislike the pinhole.

charlesn 1153 comments · 11 Years

libertyandfree said:

I really do not care if we ever get an under display FaceID with a pinhole or we just continue with the notch. The notch has zero impact upon me at all and somehow a pinhole in the screen is not going to be a concern for those who dislike the notch. People that dislike the notch will also dislike the pinhole.

Ummm... you realize the notch is gone, right? Replaced by "Dynamic Island," which is destined to join the dustbin of Apple history with other interface ideas that never gained significant support or traction ... 3D Touch, Touch Bar, etc. Personally, I found the notch less visually intrusive than the Island because the notch was at least integrated with the screen bezels. I'd never switch to Android, but I do admire the uninterrupted screen space of Samsung and Pixel phones.

Xed 2871 comments · 4 Years

charlesn said:

libertyandfree said:

I really do not care if we ever get an under display FaceID with a pinhole or we just continue with the notch. The notch has zero impact upon me at all and somehow a pinhole in the screen is not going to be a concern for those who dislike the notch. People that dislike the notch will also dislike the pinhole.

Ummm... you realize the notch is gone, right? Replaced by "Dynamic Island," which is destined to join the dustbin of Apple history with other interface ideas that never gained significant support or traction ... 3D Touch, Touch Bar, etc. Personally, I found the notch less visually intrusive than the Island because the notch was at least integrated with the screen bezels. I'd never switch to Android, but I do admire the uninterrupted screen space of Samsung and Pixel phones.

Huh?! For starters, in what way do you think it hasn't gained traction? Because people aren't talking about it? You don't think that could also mean that it's so well integrated that there's nothing to talk about?

Then you sayiDynamic Island is more visually intrusive than the notch. Well of course it is! The whole fucking point is that it's dynamically changing what it shows the user based on how the device is being utilized.

Personally I'd love for it to get more sophisticated with the next version of iOS.