Image: Apple

Rumors from Chinese social media site Weibo are hit-and-miss, especially when they don’t contain any photographic evidence or name sources. So with the appropriate grain of salt, consider the latest leak from Weibo account “Smart Pikachu” who asserts that Apple is testing a “a micro-transparent glass panel” for under-display Face ID.

Face ID relies on a number of sensors beyond just the front-facing camera. There’s an infrared flood illuminator, a dot projector from a VCSEL array, and a structured light receiver. So some of these parts might move under the display, but the main front-facing camera probably won’t, for example.

This could make the Dynamic Island area smaller, or even reduce it to a “punch-hole” style circle. Otherwise, it’s unclear why Apple would need to move the parts under the display. Of course, even this rumor says Apple is only “testing” the technology, and does not mention which iPhone 18 phones would get the feature. So, it could be limited to the Pro models or even just the Pro Max if it arrives at all.

We’ve certainly heard rumors of Apple reducing and eventually eliminating the cutout for its front camera several times in the past. While the timeline seems to shift, the latest leaks seem to suggest that we’ll see some changes in the iPhone 18 timeframe and further changes in the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027.

Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld

Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.