Face ID is the reason why iPhones adopted the notch back in 2007, and so far, the sensors haven’t completely gone away. Thankfully, that may not be the case for long, with Mark Gurman suggesting that Face ID sensors could be hidden from sight pretty soon.
In the latest issue of his Power On Newsletter, Gurman claims that we should see “more meaningful changes” by “2026 or 2027.”
Apparently Apple will be moving some of the Dynamic Island hardware under the iPhone’s display — allowing it to shrink the pill-shaped cutout even more.
There isn’t much more Apple can put under the display since notch hardware is already hidden away in various places — including under the screen. All that’s left are the final Face ID sensors and the selfie camera.
Considering under-display cameras have been underwhelming so far, it seems more likely that Apple will move Face ID instead. It doesn’t matter if Face ID doesn’t produce good photos through the screen as long as it can differentiate between faces the same way it’s always done.
Under-display Face ID: What we've heard
We’ve heard rumors about under-display Face ID for quite a few years, especially after the launch of Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
While there had been rumors that the iPhone 16 Pro could be the first phone with under-display Face ID, later rumors claimed that the tech would be pushed back to 2026 at the earliest — which aligns with Gurman’s claim.
That move would mean iPhone screens are more in line with devices from rival phone makers. One hole-punch selfie camera and no extra hardware take up valuable screen space.
But while other phones often either lack facial recognition or offer less sophisticated options, iPhones would still offer Face ID as always.
We’ve heard speculation that Apple would one day move the camera under the display as well. But until we get to a stage where under-display cameras are just as good as modern hole-punch cameras, I don’t see that happening just yet.
So I’d give that at least a few more years since we see the totally uninterrupted iPhone screen.
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