- Apple has obtained a patent for new technology that could enable on-screen Face ID
- The process described removes small parts of the screen to allow infrared to pass through.
- This follows years-old rumors about the feature launching with the iPhone 17.
Apple has been granted a patent for a new technology that could finally enable the addition of an under-screen Face ID system to the iPhone, perhaps as soon as the iPhone 17 series.
The patent details a new potential solution to the problem of passing infrared light (which Face ID uses to scan and verify your face) through the pixels under the glass of a phone’s screen.
Essentially, Apple’s latest idea is to remove just a portion of each affected individual pixel, called a subpixel. Subpixels display red, green, or blue light, which combine to form one of millions of colors at viewing distance.
The patent maintains that, in theory, there should be no difference in the final image with the selected subpixels removed, since the removed subpixels will be aligned with neighboring subpixels of the same color.
The document also notes that parts of the touch-sensitive mesh could be removed to allow better infrared passage, and that they would be too small to affect touch responsiveness.
Although it’s best not to draw conclusions until we see this technology implemented, it appears that Apple is looking to develop a more granular version of the technology Samsung uses in the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s under-screen selfie camera, removing only the necessary components from the camera. screen to allow the passage of light.
This doesn’t imply that an under-display camera is coming to the iPhone anytime soon. Rumors about an iPhone with in-display Face ID have been circulating since at least 2021, and we previously heard that an under-display selfie snapper wouldn’t arrive until the iPhone 19.
Most promisingly, however, we reported on rumors that the technology could launch with the iPhone 17 in March 2023.
In any case, we’d generally expect a feature like this to come to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max before hitting the base iPhones of later generations. But the implementation of the new camera control button on every new iPhone in 2024 shows that Apple is not totally against feature parity across its entire smartphone lineup.
Keeping the momentum
As our iPhone 16 review details, Apple’s latest entry-level model marked the biggest step forward between generations in recent iPhone history, and is the most professional-feeling vanilla flagship Apple has ever produced.
Meanwhile, the top tier of Apple’s smartphone lineup (the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max) saw substantial and notable improvements in performance and design in 2024, as the company unified the lineup around to Apple Intelligence (which, somehow, it is still implementing). ).
Apple is often criticized for its small annual revisions, but I’d be hard-pressed to say the company isn’t original after two consecutive years of big updates.
All of this is to say that Apple has a choice when it comes to the iPhone 17: keep the momentum going or leave things as they are for a few more generations. My hope is that this patent suggests that Apple is willing to continue improving its mobile experience at a good pace, leaving smaller incremental steps like the one between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 firmly in the past.
I would certainly be impressed to see such complex and original technology integrated into the display, as long as it was done right. Apple is often criticized for its small annual reviews, but I’d be hard-pressed to say the company isn’t original after two weeks in a row. years of great improvements.
Face ID is the main reason iPhones have the pill-shaped Dynamic Island, which, while still relatively svelte and decently useful, is now one of the largest cutouts seen on a flagship phone – most of manufacturers opt for a simple punch-hole selfie camera.
Of course, Apple’s competitors don’t use infrared-based facial recognition, so there’s less to fit on top of the screen, but there’s still a striking visual difference between the black spot left by the Samsung Galaxy S24’s selfie cameras. and Google. Pixel 9 and the darkened bar that is Dynamic Island.
For those who appreciate technical specifications, seeing the Face ID system disappear under the iPhone’s display would be an impressive technical feat, similar in magnitude to the first under-display fingerprint scanners.
Whether or not under-display Face ID reaches consumers of the iPhone 17 series, a generation later, depends on whether Apple intends to implement its new patent. If you don’t like waiting, be sure to check out our list of the best iPhones for a roundup of Apple’s latest and greatest phones.
