Apple iPhone 18 Pro supposedly gets design upgrade after all

Back in 2023, a display analyst suggested that the Apple iPhone 18 series would feature a smaller punch hole in 2026, since Apple would place some of the sensors required for the 3D facial recognition called Face ID under the display. However, both analysts and leakers recently reported that Apple’s timeline had changed, and that the punch hole on the iPhone 18 Pro would only get slightly smaller.

A Weibo post by the well-known leaker Smart Pikachu, who has correctly predicted details about Apple’s upcoming products in the past, now claims that current prototypes of the iPhone 18 series make these components invisible by placing them under a panel with a new type of glass. More specifically, this refers to the infrared sensors that Apple utilizes to scan the user’s face in 3D to prevent Face ID from being fooled by a simple photograph that’s been printed out.

Apple’s suppliers might be working to speed up the production schedules for these components, but it remains to be seen whether Apple can actually ship this new Face ID module with the iPhone 18 Pro. Since Apple is not expected to place the selfie cam or all the other Face ID sensors under the display, the pill-shaped punch hole of the iPhone 18 Pro would probably still exist, but end up being smaller. A display without any cutouts, like on the Nubia RedMagic 11 Pro, is not expected for the time being.