Apple solves the biggest problem by integrating Face ID under the screen. The first iPhone "all screen" is a little closer

Almost eight years have passed since the iPhone First the notch and then the Dynamic Island have been the ones who have prevented this idea from materializing: it is necessary to fix the front camera and Face ID module somewhere.

For some time now we have seen patents aimed at incorporating these components under the panel (other manufacturers have done something similar, with moderate success) and the latest Apple patent, published by the media specialized in them Patently Applesuggests to us that they have reached a solution.

Why is it important. The vision of an “all-screen” iPhone comes from a long time ago. Jony Ive himself transmitted it at the time as the final design barrier for the iPhone.

Ive left Apple more than five years ago after a progressive loss of influence, but it seems reasonable that even without him this would continue to be the objective in the design of the terminal.

In detail. This vision involves integrating everything that the Dynamic Island now contains – front camera, Face ID module – under the panel. The camera thing is already feasible and other manufacturers have done it, but it greatly compromises the image quality achieved. It sounds impossible for Apple to accept it.

On the other hand, infrared light transmission is possible to send through a screen. The problem in this case is that it is deficient, and would make something as delicate as facial recognition much slower and less reliable than today.

• In the past, Apple has tried selectively disabling pixels to improve that transmission.
• The new patent chooses to remove some subpixels, not entire pixels.

Yes, but. Subpixels are the independent red, green and blue light emitters that make up each pixel. When combined in different configurations they show the appropriate color.

Apple’s plan is to ensure that those subpixels that it deactivates to let infrared light pass through are not perceptible to the human eye: it would only deactivate them if its neighboring pixel is emitting the same color.

In the newspaper archive. A very similar idea has been suggested since the iPhone 15 arrived in 2023. Something also happened before the announcement of the iPhone 16. So it doesn’t seem very promising to say “yes this year.”

According to 9to5Mac, Some reports have suggested that one of the iPhones announced in 2025 will have a much smaller Dynamic Island. If the Pro Max, just as Jeff Pu anticipatedis the one who launches it… having the Face ID module under the panel would be the most obvious way to achieve it. The front hole would only be for the camera.

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Featured image | Fujiphilm in Unsplash