If you’re an iPhone fan, you’ve probably been wondering if the iPhone 14 was worth the wait…but have you thought about waiting another two years for the iPhone 16?
According to reliable analysts Guo Mingchi, Apple will wait until 2024 to launch its under-display camera (UDC) technology and push Face ID below the screen. If Apple doesn’t decide to spend a year launching the S variant, as it has done in the past, that’s the year we’d like to see the iPhone 16.
UDC technology puts the selfie camera below the screen so you can’t see it at a glance, and some companies, including Samsung and ZTE, have released phones that use this feature.
However, at the moment it’s not an ideal way to reduce the screen space taken up by the front-facing camera. The display prevents a certain amount of light from hitting the camera’s sensor, so selfies often get dark or dark, and while the company has used processing algorithms to counteract this, it’s by no means a perfect solution.
That’s going to be a bigger problem with Face ID, as the sensor needs good lighting to scan your face and unlock your phone.
Kuo’s post mentions “quality improvements” to Apple’s 2024 iPhone front-facing cameras, but it’s unclear if he’s saying these are in the works or just implying that they’re important.
I think the true full-screen iPhone will come out in 2024. High-end iPhones in 2024 will feature under-screen front-facing cameras and under-screen Face ID. Low-light conditions are not good for front-facing camera quality, and ISP and algorithms are critical for quality improvement. https://t.co/vWjeZYZUPKApril 20, 2022
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Analysis: Here’s a way to close the gap
Right now, with the iPhone 14 series on the horizon, one of the big discussions surrounding the upcoming phone is the notch.
Apple packs its front-facing camera and Face ID sensor into a sizable notch, which takes up screen real estate. Android phone makers have been using “hole punch” cutouts, pop-up cameras, and UDC for years as a way to preserve as much display space as possible.
While this isn’t a direct comparison, since most Android phones don’t use the same facial recognition technology as Apple’s Face ID, they don’t need as many front-facing sensors, but that hasn’t stopped Apple fans from asking for something similar for iPhone.
Based on these rumors, it could eventually happen, as leakers believe that some iPhone 14 models will get cut-outs for the front-facing camera and Face ID sensor.
It would be a good first step, but considering how large Apple’s Face ID array is, it probably won’t actually save as much screen space – so perhaps it should simply be seen as a move to a notchless iPhone A stepping stone for the display.
If Kuo is right, Apple is clearly looking for a better way to hide the front-facing camera, and even if UDC isn’t the way it finally decided to go, at least it looks like the company is aware of what fans want.
