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Apple could cherish this five-year-old Android trend with its iPhone 18

A full-screen iPhone might be just around the corner, and the selfie cam could finally hide beneath the glass.

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Screen on the Apple iPhone 17 in lavender purple
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

What’s happened? A new leak suggests that Apple’s iPhone 18 series could feature an under-display camera.

  • The news comes from a Weibo account that claims the Cupertino giant is “testing under-display” camera technology for the iPhone 18 series.
  • If the tests are successful, the upcoming iPhones could feature a punch-hole display, similar to what we’ve seen on Android smartphones (not just flagships) for years.
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Why is this important? For years, iPhones have featured gigantic notches or pill-shaped cutouts on the screen to feature the Face ID setup and the front camera.

  • However, using an under-display camera could allow the company to provide a cleaner, more immersive, full-screen display experience.
  • A major change in the iPhone’s aesthetic, the removal of the pill-shaped cutout on the front, could attract more users to Apple’s ecosystem.
  • More often than not, when Apple adopts a specific technology, Android manufacturers follow suit, and the same could be true of under-display camera technology.
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Why should I care? If you’re an iPhone user who doesn’t quite like the pill-shaped cutout at the front (or the notch), the iPhone 18 could possibly address the issue.

  • Removing the pill-shaped notch could provide more usable screen real estate for apps, video games, content, or text.
  • For those who value a sleek, seamless design and want an iPhone that looks modern, the iPhone 18 series might be it.
  • If you’re an Android user who hasn’t purchased an iPhone because of its notch, you might have one less reason to hold off next year.
Screen on the Apple iPhone 17 in lavender purple
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

OK, what’s next? While this isn’t the first time Apple has been rumored to use an under-display selfie camera on an iPhone, we’re still pretty early in Apple’s product cycle.

  • It hasn’t even been a quarter since the iPhone 17 came out, and hence, readers should take this information with a pinch of salt.
  • Anyway, the iPhone 18 series is said to be split between two launch events.
  • The one in September 2026 could unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone, while the one in Spring 2027 could unveil the baseline iPhone 18 and the successor to the iPhone Air.
Shikhar Mehrotra
Shikhar Mehrotra
News Writer
For more than five years, Shikhar has consistently simplified developments in the field of consumer tech and presented them…
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