Apple is planning to hide the selfie camera under the display of the 2027 iPhone, according to a Chinese tipster, confirming reports that the 20th anniversary iPhone will not have a visible notch on its display. Digital Chat Station Weibo reported that Apple’s development of under-display camera technology is progressing according to plan for adoption in 2027, a year after the expected introduction of under-display Face ID technology on the iPhone 18 Pro models.
See also: The iPhone 18 Pro will have a smaller hole for the front camera
Many Android phones already have under-display selfie cameras, but image quality usually suffers due to the lens being located behind the layers of the display. Apple has likely resisted adopting this technology for this reason, but the company has reportedly been working on its own solution for some time, and we could see it debut next year on Apple's first foldable iPhone.
See also: The new iPhone Air may have two cameras on the back
According to an April 2024 report, LG Innotek – one of Apple’s Korean suppliers – is developing under-display cameras that leave no visible hole when inactive. These systems use a “free-form” multiple lens array designed to reduce image distortion and improve brightness, compensating for the light loss that typically occurs when a camera is behind a display. It’s unclear whether the technology behind LG Innotek’s work will be used in the foldable iPhone. However, JP Morgan recently reported that Apple’s first foldable will feature a 24-megapixel camera under the internal display, which would be an industry first.
See also: iPhone: New lock screen setting prevents the flashlight from closing
Under-display cameras typically use 4 or 8 megapixels, suggesting that Apple has made significant progress in improving light transmission and image quality over previous designs. Apple is reportedly working on a radical redesign for its 20th anniversary iPhone that could feature a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges of the device. There is strong expectation that Apple will skip the “iPhone 19” nomenclature. For the iPhone’s 10th anniversary in 2017, Apple skipped the “iPhone 9” and simply released the iPhone X (Roman numeral for 10) alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
