The dream of getting an iPhone without a notch seemed set for next year, which is when an Apple analyst predicted we’d get all the components needed for Face ID to be relocated under the display. Now a leaker says we may have to wait until 2025.
The main line of flagship iPhones relies on a collection of sensors, including an infrared camera and infrared projector, that work in concert with a front-facing camera sitting under the iPhone’s notch to enable Face ID. Under-display Face ID has been “pushed at least a year to 2025 or later,” noted leaker Ross Young tweeted, adding that sensor issues caused the delay.
Since Young didn’t elaborate on what those sensor issues are, it’s unclear what’s holding Apple back from putting everything under the display.
Though iPhones haven’t gotten rid of the notch yet, Apple has shrunk the wide black band at the top of its premium phones in recent years. The higher-end iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max packed a new feature — Dynamic Island — that partially hid and repurposed the notch space to use as a miniature control panel for media and apps.
The ZTE Axon 20 5G released in 2020 became the world’s first phone with an under-display front camera, but the selfies it took were underwhelming. More premium Android phones have started using under-display cameras, however, including the foldable Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4, as well as the RedMagic 7S Pro.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
