Apple doesn't seem to want to rush to follow other cellphone vendors by bringing the front camera under the screen to the iPhone. Reportedly, Apple will only launch an iPhone with an under-display camera in 2024.
This prediction came from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo via his tweet on Twitter. Kuo said the high-end iPhone (possibly iPhone 16 Pro) released in 2024 will be the first Apple device to sport a front camera and Face ID under the screen.
"I think the real full-screen iPhone will come in 2024," Kuo said as quoted by MacRumors, Thursday (21/4/2022).
"High-end iPhones in 2024 will adopt an under-display front camera along with Face ID under the screen," he continued.
Kuo linked his comments with an earlier tweet in which he agreed with Ross Young, analyst from DSCC, who said that under-display Face ID would be present on iPhone 16 while under-display Touch ID would be cancelled.
I think the real full-screen iPhone will come in 2024. High-end iPhones in 2024 would adopt an under-display front camera alongside the under-display Face ID. A low-light condition is detrimental to front camera quality, and ISP & algorithm are critical for quality improvements. https://t.co/vWjeZYZUPK
— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 20, 2022
The front camera under the screen has indeed begun to be used in flagship phones from several vendors, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and ZTE Axon 20 5G. The technology for bringing the under-screen camera is constantly improving, but the photo quality is still inferior to the standard front camera.
Kuo indicated that the hardware and software factors were still limited, so Apple had to perfect the under-screen camera technology first. He said Apple will address this photo quality issue by improving the performance of the ISP (Image Signal Processor) and image algorithms.
But the presence of the iPhone 16 in 2024 is certainly still far away, so there is a possibility that this prediction will change again. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 that will launch this year will remove the notch and replace it with a punch-hole design and a pill to place the front camera and Face ID sensor.