Under-display Face ID tipped to arrive in 2025
Earlier this month one of the highest-rated tipsters, Ross Young, said that Apple was having sensor issues causing the under-display Face ID technology Apple is working on to be pushed back to 2025 or later. Young is the co-founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) and today he tweeted a timeline showing how the iPhone display is expected to evolve over the next few years.
Just keep in mind that an under-display Face ID will lead to several possible changes for the iPhone. It could lead to even thinner bezels and might give Apple the opportunity to put the kibosh on the Dynamic Island. The latter, which will reportedly be found on all four iPhone 15 models this year, is a shapeshifting notification system that replaced the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Based on Young's timeline, by 2027 the iPhone 19 Pro models will have a display without any cutouts at all. That's right, the iPhone 19 Pro and iPhone 19 Ultra would have a completely "all-screen" design. But let's see how we get there according to Young.
Ross Young sees an all-glass design for the iPhone by 2027
The iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Ultra, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have the Dynamic Island. That will change with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Ultra in 2025. Those models will debut an under-display Face ID and employ a hole-punch for the front-facing Face Time camera. 2026's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Ultra will have the same look. And that will change with the iPhone 19 as the under-display Face ID and under-display Face Time camera creates the aforementioned "all-screen" design.
The non-Pro models will sport the Dynamic Island and the 60Hz refresh rate until the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Plus in 2025. That year, the non-Pro models will keep the Dynamic Island but will have a 120Hz refresh rate. This repeats with the non-Pro iPhone 18 models in 2026 but does change in 2027 when the iPhone 19 and iPhone 19 Plus get rid of the Dynamic Island, add Under-Display Face ID, and come with a hole-punch cutout for the front-facing Face ID.
While Young doesn't go any further than 2027, we assume that by 2028 or 2029, both the Pro and non-Pro iPhone models are using the "all-screen" design. Eventually, the goal is to eliminate all ports allowing the iPhone to be a glass slab without any buttons. Reportedly, this was the original design that former Apple design chief Jony Ive had in mind for the original iPhone.
Things that are NOT allowed: