The iPhone 18 Pro series, expected to arrive in 2026, is increasingly likely to undergo a major shift away from the notch (and Dynamic Island) design that has persisted for years. According to new leaked information, the adoption of under-display Face ID technology and a punch-hole camera will finally result in a display with nothing but a single "hole."
Eight Years After the Notch, the "Punch-Hole" Era Finally Arrives
About eight years have passed since the debut of the iPhone X. It seems the notch, which has defined smartphone design, and its evolved form, the Dynamic Island, may finally be nearing the end of their reign. According to information shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by the well-known leaker 数码闲聊站 (Digital Chat Station), the "iPhone 18 Pro" and "iPhone 18 Pro Max," expected to launch in 2026, will undergo a major design transformation.
The specific specs that have been leaked are as follows.
- iPhone 18 Pro: 6.27-inch LTPO display
- iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.86-inch LTPO display
The sizes themselves appear largely unchanged from the current models and the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro series. What's noteworthy is the design at the top of the display. The current pill-shaped cutout will reportedly be eliminated, replaced by a single circular punch-hole known as "HIAA (Hole in Active Area)."
This means that the technology to finally embed the complex array of sensors that make up Face ID—such as the infrared camera and dot projector—beneath the display will be put into practical use. All that will be visible to users is a small "hole" for the front camera. This is expected to further increase the screen-to-body ratio, delivering a more immersive viewing experience.
Technical Challenge: Can Under-Display Face ID Accuracy Be Maintained?
However, the road to a "true full-screen" display is not without obstacles. The biggest technical hurdle is the accuracy and reliability of Face ID embedded beneath the display.
Accurately reading the contours of a face through the filter of a display requires extremely advanced technology. Given that under-display cameras already adopted in some Android smartphones face challenges related to degraded image quality, it's not hard to imagine the difficulty involved here. Apple is unlikely to move forward with adopting this technology unless it meets the company's own strict quality standards.
The fact that Apple has reportedly been testing this technology for years suggests the company's unwavering philosophy of refusing to compromise on quality in the way some other manufacturers' products have. If there is even the slightest issue with authentication accuracy or speed, there's a strong possibility this entire plan could be scrapped.
The End of Dynamic Island, and a Stepping Stone Toward the "Future"
The shift to a punch-hole design raises another major question: what will become of the "Dynamic Island," which was praised as a fusion of software and hardware?
Once the Face ID components are hidden beneath the display, the physical constraints on the "island" as a space for displaying information will disappear. Apple may reconstruct a new Dynamic Island in software, built around the circular punch-hole as its starting point. Alternatively, it's also possible that Apple will use this design change as an opportunity to propose an entirely new form of notifications and interaction.
This transformation isn't likely to be limited to a single generation's design change. The author believes this represents an important stepping stone in Apple's broader roadmap. It seems natural to view this as a technical and design transition toward a "completely all-screen display," which is rumored to potentially debut with the 20th-anniversary iPhone model (iPhone 19).
This leak concerns a product still more than two years away, so its credibility should be judged carefully. That said, the punch-hole design has also been the subject of past leaks from other sources, and the fact that multiple sources are pointing in the same direction carries significant weight. Once this final technical hurdle is overcome, the iPhone will finally part ways with the notch—a symbol that has defined it for years—and step into a new era of design.
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