While many smartphone manufacturers are working diligently to eradicate the unloved display notch, Apple has shown little sign of ditching the feature it helped to propagate with the iPhone X back in 2017.
However, change might be afoot when it comes to the iPhone 12 range, due out in 2020. While that won’t mean a water-drop notch, a Galaxy S10-like punch-hole, or even a pop-up selfie camera like the OnePlus 7T Pro, one leaker says improvements are on the way.
According to Twitter leakster Ben Geskin (via PhoneArena), Apple is working on a new Face ID system with smaller optics, that could mean a notch that more closely hugs the top of the phone. If the slimming of the components components is significant enough, it could even fit within the phone’s bezel, limiting the impact on the overall look of the phone, providing it doesn’t add too much thickness to the bezel itself.
Apple is testing a few Face ID prototypes with new optics, some are smaller in width, some are narrower to fit in the top bezel.
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) October 22, 2019
Geskin isn’t exactly the most reliable source in the world when it comes to these matters, so it’s worth taking the reports with a pinch of salt.
However, he does raise an interesting point while “posting information that I receive and which I think is interesting.” By the time 2020 comes around, Apple’s design will be an outlier compared to what most of the other manufacturers are offering.
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Of course, the number of sensors needed for Face ID function limits how much Apple can do to minimise the technology and, given its stance on how much safer its facial recognition tech is than the previous Touch ID solution, it seems unlikely Apple would ditch Face ID in favour of an under-display fingerprint sensor.
Google got itself some bad publicity for the Pixel 4 range when it emerged its own Face Unlock solution worked when users eyes are closed. Google has promised a fix.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
