How Apple Could One Day Remove iPhone’s Notch, Based On Its Patent Filings
Photo 216231196 © 216231196 © Wachiwit | Dreamstime.com
As accustomed as you might be with the notch, imagine how much better your iPhone would look without it. As it seems, Apple has already prepared some patents that—although not specific to smartphones—could one day enable Face ID, the front-facing camera, and other aspects of the TrueDepth technology without that pill-shaped wedge.
BGR outlines some of these filings in a new feature, which includes the possibility of Apple moving to an under-the-display design. In one patent, granted on July 27, Apple describes moving sensors that read 2D and 3D information under the screen, which would effectively make both Touch ID and Face ID possible. The device could analyze faces, as well as scan fingerprints, underneath the display.
A couple of similar ideas involving under-the-display technology were also pitched by Apple, and these were awarded by the US Patent and Trademark Office on July 20 and August 3.
A second way Apple could eliminate the notch is by introducing moving parts to displays, another concept the company has brought up in a patent document. When notch components are required, such as when you need to unlock your phone, the iPhone’s screen could slide down for the sensors to do their work. During this process, contents on your display could even shift along with it and at the same speed, so user experience won’t be affected.
For the uninitiated, without a physical home button, the notch remains a necessary feature, since that’s where the TrueDepth camera system which enables facial recognition is. As for when one can expect a notch-free iPhone to hit the market, an April 2021 report by renowned tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo projects a 2023 date.
[via BGR, cover image 216231196 © 216231196 © Wachiwit | Dreamstime.com]
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