Goodbye Notch? iPhone 18 Rumored For Display Upgrade With A Slick Feature
Somewhere in the near future, Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max users could potentially have their Face IDs scanned by an invisible, under-display scanner. Apparently Cupertino is testing the feature, but with anything of this nature, there's still a chance that the technology won't mature in time to make the iPhone 18's production schedule or that it might get nixed altogether. If this takes, however, we may be able to say goodbye to the space-wasting Dynamic Island and perhaps get treated to a clean full-screen design.
From the "notch" to the Dynamic Island (DI), Apple has experimented with various ways to hide the iPhone's effective Face ID sensors and front cameras. Arguably, DI is the most refined, offering a nice blend of visual appeal as well as a useful way to display notifications and background activities. But detractors argue that both iterations are ugly, distracting wastes of real estate.
Apple engineers seem to thinks so, too. According to a leak by Digital Chat Station (over on Weibo), "I checked the Apple supply chain a few days ago. The iPhone 18 Pro/18 Pro Max is indeed testing 3D faces under the screen, with a single HIAA hole; the iPhone 18/18 Air is a regular 2+1 hole."
HIAA (hole in active area) is promising in that it's a viable way to incorporate either both (or either) the selfie camera and Face ID IR projector/scanner under the OLED panel.
Initially developed by Samsung and followed by other brands, HIAA is a production method of drilling a tiny hole with a laser in the space between active display pixels. The main hiccup is still getting the phone display to allow light for the camera and/or sensors to pass through sufficiently to be effective and accurate. If under-display Face ID is to be successful, the performance has to be spot on like it is right now.
Digital Chat Station also offers that every model below the 18 Pros will retain Dynamic Island. The iPhone 18 Pro and Air models are expected to drop late 2026, whereas the standard 18 and 18e will be released in Spring of 2027. This marks a new staggered launch approach (similar to what Google Pixels have done) to broaden the interest and reach of the products.
