Until now, claims that Apple would radically redesign the display of its flagship iPhones have been limited to leaked schematics and artist renders. But not anymore.
A flurry of new leaks has seemingly exposed Apple’s notch-less iPhone 14 Pro for the first time. Moreover, Apple may have also revealed the technology behind this eye-opening design change.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max renders based on leaked schematics
First, the leaks. The big news comes from DuanRui, a Chinese tipster with an excellent track record, who has shared real-world shots of the new iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max display, one of which has the screen on. As previous leaks have alluded to, the notch is replaced by a dual-punch hole design. The punch holes are substantially larger than initial reports claimed when news of the design change broke last year.
First claimed image of the iPhone 14 Pro dual punch hole display
Building on this, ShrimpApplePro, the first leaker to reveal Apple’s dual-punch hole design plans, has shared screenshots showing how Apple will rejig the iPhone 14 Pro display to account for the new punch holes. The images (via MacRumors) claim to show an iPhone 14 Pro Max UI superimposed over an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Despite the punch holes being smaller than the notch, Apple has allegedly moved the iOS cellular signal, WiFi and battery icons slightly lower and further to the right. There has been a lot of online discussion about whether the punch holes would allow Apple to fit another icon(s) into the status bar, and this image points in that direction.
Alledged iPhone 14 Pro Max tweak for new punch hole display
Lastly, prolific Samsung leaker Ice Universe broke from their usual turf to share images of an iPhone 14 Pro dummy unit which also highlights the new punch holes design. With mass production of all models well underway, you can expect the flurry of leaks to continue.
iPhone 14 Pro dummy model showing the new punch hole design
It is important to stress how much of a shock this new iPhone 14 Pro display represents. Only last year, Apple launched its redesigned MacBooks with display notches that (controversially) unified the company’s design language. It was also seen as a statement that the notch was here to stay, until under-display camera technologies achieve Apple’s high standards.
But the iPhone 14 Pro punch holes throw a match on all of this. Something which explains why so many industry commentators have remained skeptical about it.
So how will Apple pull off this change on a technical level? A new patent application spotted by specialist site Patently Apple may have just given the game away. The application shows how a “light folding element” can be used to redirect the IR light, a critical part of Face ID. As Apple explains:
“Because the light folding element can change the transmission direction of the IR light, the IR light emitter may not necessarily be limited to a specific installation location. Instead, the IR light emitter may be placed at a location with less-constrained space, and use the light folding element to project the IR light in a specific direction. This can reduce the overall size of the imaging and sensing components, thus decreasing size of a notch for holding the imaging and sensing component and increasing the display area of the device.”
Only a small amount of the technology Apple patents ever makes it to commercial release. That said, the timing of this patent seems far from coincidental.
Either way, 2022 will be all about Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro models with the entry-level iPhone 14 and new iPhone 14 Max essentially rehashed versions of the iPhone 13. If you can afford their higher prices, Pro is the way to go.
___
Follow Gordon on Facebook
More on Forbes
