Apple has used a notch on its iPhones since the release of the iPhone X. But in 2022, the company will remove the notch on select iPhone 14 models
Those select iPhone 14 models will, of course, be the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Instead of a notch, Apple will utilize a hole-punch camera system to potentially house both FACE ID and the phones’ front-facing camera.
Given the complexity of FACE ID, however, many sources are speculating that Apple might remove the facial scanning tech from its Pro models and replace it with an in-display TouchID sensor.
Again, nothing is known officially about Apple’s plans for FACE ID. But FACE ID is the only reason we have a notch on the iPhone, so if the notch is gone it stands to reason that FACE ID could be going the same way.
Unless Apple has managed to figure out how to strip down the tech and make it work inside a much smaller surface area? Right now, all bets are off about the fate of FACE ID.
And remember: there is A LOT of technology inside FACE ID. Here’s a breakdown of all the tech and sensors currently used inside FACE ID:
- Infrared camera
- Flood illuminator
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Speaker
- Microphone
- Front camera
- Dot projector
iPhone 14 Pro / iPhone 14 Pro Max Will Not Have A Notch
News of Apple finally ditching the notch comes via always-reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. According to Kuo, Apple will ONLY remove the notch on its iPhone 14 Pro models – so, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The iPhone 14, meaning the base model, will retain its notch. And as far as we’re aware, there will not be an iPhone 14 Mini in 2022. Taking the iPhone 14 Mini’s place will be the new iPhone SE 3 – and it will apparently be the cheapest 5G iPhone ever released.
If all of the above is true, we’ll see three, new iPhone 14 models launched during the end of 2022 in the form of the iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Mini brand will be killed off and replaced by a new iPhone SE 3 that may or may not get a release before the iPhone 14.
The fact that Apple is removing the notch, a move that has been talked about for years, should not come as a surprise. If things like foldable phones, or flexible designs, are to become a thing, Apple cannot be beholden to its notch – it needs a workaround.
And that workaround, based on Kuo’s musings, will either be the inclusion of an in-display TouchID sensor or a complete rejigging of FACE ID that will allow Apple to run it from a single hole-punch camera system located at the top of the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max’s display.
No Notch AND No Ports?
Another rumor that has been doing the rounds for a couple of years is that Apple is keen on ditching ALL ports on its iPhone, in a bid to turn it into a completely wireless device. The iPhone 14 “might” be the first attempt at this.
I say, might, because Apple will need a couple of things in order to make this work. First, it will need much faster wireless charging – like 65W or more to pull it off. Or, it’ll need to fit its iPhones will HUGE batteries, so they run all day long and well into the night.
Improving wireless charging speeds is easy enough; plenty of Android phones now support 65W or more for wireless charging, so the idea that the world’s most profitable tech company cannot do the same is laughable.
The reason Apple hasn’t improved its wireless charging speeds up to now is that it doesn’t have to. But the removal of the charging cable from the box, things like MagSafe, and the “concept” of the portless iPhone all add credence to the idea that Apple is aiming to remove all ports from its iPhone eventually.
Whatever happens in 2022, the iPhone 14 is definitely going to shake things up…
