So far, claims that Apple will fundamentally redesign the display on its flagship iPhone have been limited to leaked schematics and artist renderings. But not anymore.
A spate of new leaks appears to have exposed Apple’s notchless iPhone 14 Pro for the first time. Additionally, Apple may have revealed the technology behind this eye-opening design change.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max renders based on leaked schematics
First, leaks.Big news from Duan Rui, a Chinese salesman with an excellent track record who shared real photos of the new iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max displays with one of the screens turned on. As previous leaks have suggested, the notch is replaced by a dual punch-hole design. The punch hole is much bigger than initial reports last year when news of the design change broke.
First claimed iPhone 14 Pro dual punch-hole display images
Building on that, ShrimpApplePro, the first leaker to reveal Apple’s plans for a dual-punch hole design, shared screenshots showing how Apple will tweak the iPhone 14 Pro’s display to address the new hole-punch problem.image (via Mike Rumors) claims to overlay the iPhone 14 Pro Max UI on top of the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Although the punch hole is smaller than the notch, Apple has allegedly moved the iOS cellular signal, WiFi and battery icons to a slightly lower and farther right position. There’s been a lot of discussion online about whether the hole punch would allow Apple to include another icon in the status bar, and this image points in that direction.
iPhone 14 Pro Max allegedly tweaked with new punch-hole display
Finally, the prolific Samsung leaker Ice Universe Breaking out of their usual turf, an image of the iPhone 14 Pro dummy unit has been shared, which also highlights the new punch-hole design. With mass production of all models well underway, you can expect the flurry of leaks to continue.
iPhone 14 Pro dummy mockups show off new punch-hole design
It’s important to underscore how stunning this new iPhone 14 Pro display represents. Just last year, Apple introduced a redesigned MacBook with a display notch that (arguably) unified the company’s design language. It’s also seen as a statement that the notch is here to stay until the under-display camera technology is up to Apple’s high standards.
But the hole-punch of the iPhone 14 Pro is a match for it all. This explains why so many industry commentators remain skeptical.
So how will Apple implement this change on a technical level?A new patent application discovered by an expert website apparently apple Probably just dropped the game. The app shows how to use “optical folding elements” to redirect infrared light, a key part of Face ID. As Apple explains:
“Because the light-folding element can change the transmission direction of the infrared light, the infrared light emitter may not necessarily be limited to a specific installation location. Instead, the IR light emitter can be placed in a location with less space constraints and use the light-folding element Projects IR light in a specific direction. This can reduce the overall size of the imaging and sensing components, thereby reducing the size of the notch used to hold the imaging and sensing components, and increasing the display area of the device.”
Only a small percentage of Apple’s patented technology can be released commercially. That said, the timing of this patent does not appear to be a coincidence.
Either way, 2022 will be all about Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro models, the entry-level iPhone 14 and the new iPhone 14 Max that are basically revamped versions of the iPhone 13. If you can afford the higher price, the Pro is the best option.
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