Stop us if you've heard this rumor before. Apple is probably preparing a major redesign for its next ultra-high-end iPhones, finally aiming to rival the sleekness of the most impressive Android handsets out there with a hole punch display replacing the universally despised notch of the last few years.
A notchless iPhone 14 has not only been talked about for months but envisioned and rendered by numerous well-connected tipsters and concept artists, gaining more and more credence (and detail) as time went by and iPhone 13 series sales... held surprisingly steady.
So why are we talking about this yet again?
The answer to that question is obviously very simple, closely linking to one of the golden rules of journalism since time immemorial. While a piece of inside information is generally considered trustworthy when three separate sources can verify it, common sense naturally suggests that the more sources "confirming" the same story, the merrier.
Although Twitter's @dylandkt doesn't quite inspire a level of confidence on par with Mark Gurman, Ming-Chi Kuo, Jon Prosser, Ross Young, or Korean website The Elec, today's social media "corroboration" of all those previous reports makes us just a tiny bit more certain than yesterday that the iPhone notch will finally go away this year.
This is how the iPhone 14 Pro Max could look with an (improbable) pinhole selfie camera
Well, kind of, as the general consensus among industry analysts, loudmouthed YouTubers, supply chain insiders, and Twitter leakers seems to call for two good old fashioned notched iPhone 14 models and two "modern" variants with a hole punch design and under-display Face ID components.
That's right, the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max are widely expected to put their facial recognition hardware out of sight... sans "negatively affecting" the functionality, reliability, speed, and accuracy of said biometric sensors.
Despite that predicted innovation, Apple is rumored to go with a somewhat unusual pill-shaped hole punch on the iPhone 14 Pro duo rather than taking the considerably more popular and arguably more elegant pinhole approach.
What else is in the pipeline for the iPhone 14 family?
First and foremost, it's definitely important to point out that while we fully expect this next-gen family to include four main members, Apple will almost surely do without a Mini model after two years of largely fruitless attempts to bring back compact powerhouses.
Instead, the aforementioned iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are likely to be joined to market at some point in the fall of 2022 by a "regular" 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and a non-Pro 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max sharing a "conventional" notched design, a decidedly non-Pro rear camera system, and possibly, traditional 60Hz screen refresh rate technology as well.
This is how the iPhone 14 Pro could look with an (imagined) pill-shaped hole punch
At least one of 2022's Pro models is pretty much guaranteed already to make a serious leap in both the primary camera resolution and memory department, which may however increase the retail pricing difference between Pro and non-Pro iPhones.
Of course, that's little more than an assumption on our part for the time being, as there's really no reliable way to know exactly how much could Apple plan to charge for each of these four A16 Bionic-powered beasts so early in their pre-production process.
Until we find out more, cash-strapped "iFans" may want to consider preparing for the impending release of the third-generation iPhone SE, whose prospective notch should be viewed as a big step forward, only outshined by the virtually guaranteed inclusion of 5G connectivity.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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