Rumored iPhone under-display Face ID tech might miss iPhone 17 launch and debut with iPhone 18

There have been rumors of a big change coming to the iPhone 17 Pro for some time, with display analyst Ross Young believing that the best phones of 2025 would feature an under-display Face ID setup for the first time. The move would mean that there would be no display cutouts for the Face ID technology, reducing the size of the Dynamic Island. However, the analyst says that things might have changed.

In a post on the X social network, Young noted that the under-display technology may have been delayed until the iPhone 18 Pro. This post came back in March but has only just come to the fore after it was spotted by AppleInsider.

However, more recently analyst Jeff Pu suggested that Apple intends to be able to shrink the Face ID technology for the iPhone 17 Pro Max specifically, suggesting that the iPhone 17 Pro will not have the same technology. Pu appeared to suggest that the smaller components will allow the Dynamic Island to be made smaller, but there was no mention of placing the camera under the display.

• Read more: Apple's next-gen iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air expected to feature 120Hz ProMotion displays
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• Read more: Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air rumored to be the thinnest iPhone in over 10 years at 6mm thick

It's important to note that both the iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 series' of devices are so far away from production that Apple can, and likely will, change its mind in terms of a variety of components and designs. The display and any Face ID improvements could well be part of that, but we'll have to wait some considerable time before we can know for sure.

Long before that, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro devices this fall, likely in September.