Ever since Apple ditched the boat-shaped notch at the top of iPhones and replaced it with the pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout, pundits have predicted that it was the road to an all-screen iPhone. But it seems that dream will have to wait for at least another generation, though the pill-shaped display cutout could shrink next year.
Thinner, but not quite invisible
As per reliable leakster, Digital Chat Station, the Dynamic Island could be slimmer on the iPhone 18 series next year. Sharing their prediction on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, the leakster adds that Apple won’t move the camera and Face ID assembly entirely under the display and make them invisible.
So far, multiple Android phone makers have succeeded in achieving the all-screen look on their phones by using an under-display camera. Samsung has also flirted with the formula, but has since ditched it. Even smaller players such as Red Magic from China continue to offer the eye–pleasing tech, though the under-display camera sensor takes a toll on the image quality.
In Apple’s case, it’s a tad more complicated because the Dynamic Island contains not only an RGB sensor, but also an IR camera, dot projector, and floor illuminator hardware. It’s unclear how a layer of glass will affect the accuracy of biometric face authentication, but it surely isn’t going to be a cakewalk.
Is Apple waiting for the anniversary edition iPhone?
So far, reports of an under-display Face ID module have been fairly conflicting. “Apple likely plans to move its Face ID, proximity and light sensors beneath the display—bringing it closer to offering a fully uninterrupted screen, free of the unsightly pill-shaped cutout at the top,” The Information reported earlier this year, predicting the change to materialize in 2026.
But it seems the iPhone 18 series, due for an arrival next year, won’t offer the all-screen invisible Dynamic Island look. Apparently, that change has been reserved for the highly anticipated “anniversary edition” iPhone set to hit the shelves in 2020.
Bloomberg has reported on multiple occasions that the anniversary edition iPhone is chasing an all-glass design makeover, and it’s quite plausible that the device will also get a clean, all-screen look on the front. In the meantime, Apple has already slightly shifted the Dynamic Island position on the iPhone Air, and it seems a slimmer module is on the roadmap for next year.
