If the iPhone 17 gets this rumored Face ID upgrade, I'll never call Apple unoriginal again

• Apple has been granted a patent for a new technology that may enable in-display Face ID
• The process described removes tiny parts of the display to allow infrared passthrough
• This tracks with years-old rumors of the feature launching with the iPhone 17

Apple has been granted a patent for a new technology that may finally enable the long-rumored embedding of an under-display Face ID system in the iPhone, perhaps as soon as the iPhone 17 series.

The patent details a new possible workaround to the issue of getting infrared light – which Face ID uses to scan and verify your face – through the pixels beneath the glass of a phone screen.

Essentially, Apple’s latest idea is to remove only a piece of each individual pixel affected, called a subpixel. Subpixels display either red, green, or blue light, which combine to form one of millions of colors at viewing distance.

The patent maintains that, in theory, there should be no difference in the final image with selected subpixels removed, as the removed subpixels will be aligned with neighboring subpixels of the same color.

The document also notes that parts of the touch-sensitive mesh could be removed to allow for better infrared passthrough, and that these would be too small to affect touch responsiveness.

Though it’s best to not draw conclusions until we see this technology implemented, it seems as though Apple is looking to develop a more granular version of the technology that Samsung uses in the under-display selfie camera of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 – removing only the necessary components of the display to allow light to pass through.

This doesn’t imply that an under-display camera will come to the iPhone any time soon, mind. Rumors of an iPhone with in-display Face ID have been circulating since at least 2021, and we previously heard that an under-display selfie snapper wouldn't be arriving until the iPhone 19.

More promisingly, though, we reported on rumors that the technology could launch with the iPhone 17 in March 2023.

In any case, we’d generally expect a feature like this to come to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max before making it to the baseline iPhones with later generations. But the implementation of the new Camera Control button on every new iPhone in 2024 shows that Apple isn’t totally averse to feature parity across its smartphone lineup.

Keeping up the momentum

As our iPhone 16 review details, the latest baseline model from Apple marked the greatest step forward between generations in the iPhone’s recent history, and is the most Pro-feeling vanilla flagship Apple has ever produced.

Meanwhile, the upper tier of Apple’s smartphone lineup – the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max – saw substantial, noticeable improvements to performance and design in 2024, as the company unified the lineup around Apple Intelligence (which is, somehow, still rolling out).

This is all to say that Apple has a choice when it comes to the iPhone 17: keep up the momentum, or let things sit as they are for another few generations. I’m hopeful that this patent suggests Apple is keen to keep improving its mobile experience at pace, leaving smaller incremental steps like the one between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 firmly in the past.

I’d certainly be impressed to see such a complex and original technology integrated with the display, so long as it was done well – Apple is often lambasted for its small yearly revisions, but I'd struggle to call the company unoriginal after two straight years of huge upgrades.

Face ID is the main reason iPhones have the pill-shaped Dynamic Island, which, while still relatively svelte and decently useful, is now one of the largest cutouts seen on a flagship phone – most manufacturers opt for a simple punch-hole selfie camera.

Of course, Apple’s competitors aren’t using infrared-based facial recognition, so there’s less to fit at the top of the display, but there's still a striking visual difference between the black dot left by the selfie cameras of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 9, and the blacked-out bar that is the Dynamic Island.

For those with an appreciation for tech specs, seeing the Face ID system disappear underneath the iPhone’s display would be an impressive technical feat, similar in magnitude to the first under-display fingerprint scanners.

Whether or not under-display Face ID makes it to consumers with the iPhone 17 series, a later generation, or not at all, depends on whether Apple intends to implement its new patent. If you’re not keen on waiting, be sure to check out our list of the best iPhones to get the rundown on the latest and greatest Apple handsets.

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