Previous patents from Apple indicate that the company is diligently working on incorporating Face ID technology into the displays of upcoming iPhones.
The most significant challenge has been that infrared light, essential for Face ID, does not penetrate displays effectively. However, a recently awarded Apple patent implies that a potential solution may have been identified.
Integrating Face ID into the Display
Former Apple design leader Jony Ive once envisioned the ultimate iPhone design as “a singular slab of glass.” From a frontal viewpoint, it would feature no bezels or notches, just a seamless display. Although Ive is no longer with Apple, the company is still believed to be pursuing this ideal.
This would eventually necessitate the integration of all components, including the front-facing camera and Face ID technology, underneath the display, particularly within the Dynamic Island.
While embedding the camera is a longer-term vision, current technology does not yield sufficient quality for iPhone use. Thus, it is highly likely that Face ID incorporation into the display will occur first.
Addressing the Main Challenge
Although infrared light can pass through displays, its transmission is notably poor, leading to slower and less reliable facial recognition than current methods.
Apple has previously experimented with selectively deactivating pixels to enhance transmission, but a newly granted patent (noted by Patently Apple) presents a more straightforward and effective solution: the removal of certain subpixels.
A pixel comprises distinct light emitters for red, green, and blue, referred to as subpixels. By eliminating some of these subpixels, Apple proposes allowing infrared light to flow through the gaps.
The concept is that the absence of these subpixels would be imperceptible to the naked eye since a subpixel would only be removed when it is adjacent to a like-colored emitter of a neighboring pixel, thus allowing for color mixing to remain consistent.
A subset of all display subpixels in the pixel removal area may be extracted by progressively eliminating the nearest neighboring subpixels of the same color.
This method’s efficacy would be enhanced by the removal of some wiring as well. Each subpixel has its dedicated power and control lines; eliminating the subpixel allows for the removal of its wiring, thus expanding the transmission area for infrared light.
At least some horizontal and vertical control lines in the regions without pixels are restructured to create continuous open spaces that minimize diffraction for light traveling through the display to the sensor.
Apple also suggests that parts of the touch-sensitive mesh could be excised in these areas to further facilitate infrared transmission. Since these would be subpixel-sized openings, they would not compromise touch accuracy.
Is this Likely to Occur in the iPhone 17?
There have been numerous predictions regarding the implementation of embedded Face ID in the iPhone 15 and again in the iPhone 16 — neither of which materialized. Therefore, it’s no surprise that similar forecasts are being made for the iPhone 17.
Last month, I noted a couple of reasons for cautious optimism regarding this technology.
First, several reports indicate that at least one model this year will sport a smaller display cutout. Jeff Pu noted that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature a “significantly narrowed Dynamic Island.” Incorporating Face ID beneath the display would be the most evident way to achieve this.
Second, there’s the iPhone 17 Air. Apple aims for the sleekest design possible, and transitioning to a camera punch-hole instead of a larger Dynamic Island aligns perfectly with this vision.
Initially, the iPhone 17 Air was expected to be priced as the most expensive model in the lineup, which would support its claim to adopting new technology first. However, there has been some reconsideration regarding its price, leaving us expecting it at some point, though the timeline remains uncertain.
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