Forget iPhone 15 Ultra — iPhone 16 just tipped for big Face ID upgrade

iPhone 14 Pro Max
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The Dynamic Island was one of the biggest changes that came to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max last year, but Apple may be ready to move to under-display Face ID in 2024.

A new report from Korean outlet The Elec indicates that Apple is on track to move the TrueDepth camera for Face ID under the display for the iPhone 16 Pro and Ultra models, but what would that mean for the future of the Dynamic Island? (via MacRumors)

Will Apple desert the Dynamic Island?

This new report lines up with previous claims from display analyst Ross Young. He projected that Apple will first move to under-display Face ID on the iPhone 16 Pro and Ultra models with the feature trickling down to all models for the iPhone 17 in 2025. While projections this far out are to be taken with a grain of salt, Young has a strong track record on these display tech rumors.

Rest assured that the Dynamic Island isn't going anywhere. Apple has cemented it as a signature design element of the iPhone, which returning to Young's projections will be reaffirmed with the standard iPhone 15 models adding it later this year. 

We would naturally expect to see the "pill" that the Dynamic Island emerges from to shrink when Face ID goes under the display, but otherwise, the functionality will remain the same as what we see on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max today.

Now whether that will hold true when the iPhone goes to both an under-display camera and Face ID may be another story, but according to Young that won't happen until around 2027, so we've still got a few years to enjoy our time on the Dynamic Island. 

If you are looking to upgrade this year, then make sure to keep an eye on our iPhone 15 Ultra and iPhone 15 hubs for all of the latest.

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.