iPhone 14 Pro rumored to replace notch with dual pill and hole cutouts
iPhone 14 Pro render created by designer Ian Zelbo
It can now be said with a fair amount of certainty that Apple's next premium iPhones - the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max - will ditch the notch that debuted on 2017's iPhone X in favor of a hole-punch cutout.
That's only part of the mystery solved, as, unlike Android flagships, the iPhone also features a complex Face ID system that requires a lot of modules and sensors. Display Supply Chain Consultants' CEO Ross Young, who has an impressive track record when it comes to leaks, seems to know how Apple plans on going about it.
In September of last year, Twitter leaker ShrimpApplePro, who tweets from the handle @VNchocoTaco, shared a concept image visualizing what the screen could look like from behind. Young also believes that that's what the front of the Pro models will look like, meaning a pill-shaped cutout on the center-left will house the front camera and the infrared camera, and the circular hole will have the dot projector.
iPhone 14 Pro design shared by ShrimpApplePro
If that sounds like a lot of holes, keep in mind that they will still take up less screen estate than the notch. Assuming the leak is legit, it puts to rest a recent rumor that claimed Apple would place the Face ID hardware beneath the display.
ShrimpApplePro, the leaker who first talked about the design, had also said if Apple managed to put the Face ID system under the screen, it would do the same with the camera. Young thinks that we shouldn't expect to see an iPhone with an under-display camera until at least 2024, which is not bad news at all, given that the handful of Android phones that feature the tech have failed to impress.
iPhone 14 Pro's screen design will not simply be a cross between the Galaxy S10 Plus, which has two hole-punch cameras, and Huawei models with a pill-shaped cutout, but will rather be unlike anything we have seen, or so implies Young.
This year's lineup will reportedly consist of two standard models - 6.1-inches iPhone 14 and 6.7-inches iPhone 14 Max- and two Pros - 6.1-inches iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inches iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Pro models will reportedly replace the current versions' 12MP main camera with a 48MP main camera. The series will likely be powered by the slightly more powerful A16 Bionic chip.
Given how relatively rare it is for Apple to introduce design changes and new camera sensors, it's safe to assume most fans will love the new phones and make them one of the top smartphones of 2022.
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