The upcoming iPhone 14 Pro could be getting a screen size upgrade, a new rumor claims — but don't expect under-display camera tech for another four years.
That's according to display expert and leaker Ross Young of DSCC, who has outlined how we can expect the iPhone's Face ID and selfie camera notch to evolve over the next few years.
Starting with the rumors for this year's iPhone, Young says the screens on the two expected Pro models will get ever so slightly larger. This would be thanks to thinner bezels around the edge of the phone and the rumored pill and punch-hole cutout for the front sensors replacing the notch.
iPhone 13 Pro - 6.06"iPhone 14 Pro - 6.12"iPhone 13 Pro Max - 6.68"iPhone 14 Pro Max - 6.69"Differences due to pill + hole replacing the notch and narrower bezels.May 10, 2022
If Young is correct, the iPhone 14 Pro will move up to 6.12 inches from 6.06 inches, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max will go from 6.68 inches to 6.69 inches. Those are only small increases, but they're still increases. We imagine Apple will stick to calling these 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch phones in its promotional material, though.
Meanwhile, the regular iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will reportedly keep their old, slightly smaller, sizes, which have been in use since the iPhone 12. They won't get this slight size increase until the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Max, Young claims.
Looking further ahead, here's Young's alleged timeline for Apple ditching the iPhone notch. He says this takes into account the cost of buying under-display panels, as well as when the technology will be of high enough quality for Apple to decide to use it.
Based on the technical challenges remaining for under panel cameras to meet discerning brands quality requirements as well as panel manufacturers' cost requirements, I still believe this roadmap makes sense for the iPhone. pic.twitter.com/3ck5X3sVcLMay 10, 2022
From this, we can see that the first under-display camera iPhones should arrive in 2026. Closer to the present, all models will have moved to the pill and punch-hole camera arrangement rumored for the iPhone 14 Pro by next year.
Young says we'll have a hybrid approach between those two points, with the Face ID sensors buried in the display, but a visible punch-hole notch still remaining for the selfie camera.
In all cases, Young says these new Face ID/camera arrangements will appear on the iPhone Pro models first, with the regular versions then catching up the following year, before the Pro models move to the next iteration. If true, the rumors of the base iPhone 14 sticking with the existing notch could be the start of a years-long trend.
We'll find out exactly what Apple has in store with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro later this year, probably around September as in many previous years. Hopefully we'll also get confirmation of other interesting rumors about these phones, such as those around a 48MP main camera for the iPhone 14 Pro, or a new two-tier system for Pro and non-Pro chipsets. Either way, we'll round up all of the latest news and leaks in our Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro hubs.
