Apple’s iPhone 16 series (probably limited to iPhone 16 Pro models) will be equipped with an under-screen Face ID sensor when it launches next year. This means that Apple can completely eliminate the Dynamic island (or bangs) and keep only 1 front camera round punch hole. But the question is, is Apple willing to shelve this feature after only 2 years of having the island feature online?
Ross Young, CEO of screen supply chain consulting firm DSCC, reported last spring that Apple had an under-screen Face ID sensor ready for the 2024 iPhone. This was later confirmed by Tianfeng Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who specifically noted in his memo that Apple is aiming to introduce an under-screen Face ID sensor for the 2024 iPhone 16 Pro model.
A report from Apple’s supply chain continues to echo that sentiment today. The supply chain report says that as Apple introduces Dynamic Island to the standard iPhone 15 model, it expects to move Face ID below the iPhone display starting with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max next year.
Face ID requires a number of different components and sensors to work, including an infrared camera, a light-sensitive sensor, and more. Moving all the hardware needed for Face ID under the iPhone’s display isn’t going to be easy, but it’s clearly something Apple is going to accomplish next year.
But in addition to visually combining the two cutouts, Dynamic Island integrates with iOS in a number of different ways. You can interact with Dynamic Island to manage notifications, navigation, and audio playback. iOS 16’s new Live Activity feature also integrates deeply with Dynamic Island.
If Apple succeeds in moving the Face ID component underneath the iPhone 16 Pro display, it could use a single punch hole for the selfie camera and nothing else. The Apple iPhone wouldn’t need a pill-shaped punch hole, so there would be no point in the continued existence of the dynamic island.
