iPhones won't be getting under-display Face ID for two more years, and won't get under-display Touch ID for another three, according to a pair of reliable tech analysts.
Display analyst Ross Young has claimed that under-display Face ID will first appear on the 2024 iPhone 16. This was in reply to a tweet by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that under-display Touch ID fingerprint security wouldn't arrive on an iPhone until at least 2025.
Kuo: iPhone With Under-Screen Touch ID No Longer Likely Within Next Two Years https://t.co/EIIv997D6l by @rsgnl pic.twitter.com/5TS06fBnFCMarch 30, 2022
Currently, the iPhone 13 line-up uses a familiar notch design to house the Face ID and selfie camera. This is rumored to be staying the same for the iPhone 14, while the iPhone 14 Pro is said to be changing this to smaller pill and punch-hole-shaped display cut-outs. The front camera and Face ID sensors will still be visible though, unlike a true under-display system.
Previous rumors for the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro have also claimed it would be the model to introduce under-display Face ID. This obviously doesn't fit with what Kuo and Young have said, although with over a year until this phone's assumed launch, we have a lot of time for more rumors and leaks to emerge to clear this up.
Face ID-style face unlocking is a cool and easy-to-use feature, but it has limitations. Under-display fingerprint scanners, found on the latest Samsung Galaxy S22 or Google Pixel 6 and many more Android phones proved much more useful than Face ID over the past few years due to the use of face masks during the pandemic, which Face ID couldn't register users through.
It was for this reason as well as user preference, that many hoped for Apple to bring back Touch ID to the iPhone. But now that iOS 15.4 has allowed Face ID to work with masks, the need for a fingerprint sensor on the iPhone is not as urgent.
It's a long wait until we see an iPhone with any under-display unlocking option. However, we've still got the iPhone 14 to look forward to in the meantime, which should arrive this September as usual, with changes like a new design and a new iPhone 14 Max model to replace the iPhone 13 mini.
