Kuo: Apple to Adopt Under Display Face ID Starting With 2023 iPhones

Apple plans to include an under-display Face ID system starting with its 2023 iPhones, removing the need to house the facial recognition system in a notch, according to well-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID
In an investors note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that the under-display ‌Face ID‌ system will debut alongside a new periscope telephoto lens in 2023. Kuo had previously stated that starting next year, Apple will plan to abandon the notch for a "punch-hole" design for some of its 2022 iPhones.

Since its debut with the iPhone X, the notch has served primarily to house the TrueDepth camera system which enables ‌Face ID‌. While Apple is rumored to be planning a smaller notch for the 2021 iPhones, presumably, if the tech giant is able to house the facial recognition system under the display, it would remove the need for a notch entirely.

Kuo had also previously stated that at least one high-end ‌iPhone‌ model in 2023 will feature an under-display fingerprint scanner with no notch and a real full-screen display. Kuo provides no specifics with today's note on whether Apple would offer both an under-display Touch ID and ‌Face ID‌ system, or whether under-display ‌Face ID‌ will remain exclusive to the higher-end iPhones.

Apple has widely been rumored to adopt an under-display fingerprint scanner, even possibly for the iPhone 13. However, this is the first time we've heard of a possible under-display ‌Face ID‌ system. From a technological standpoint, achieving an under-display facial recognition system requires more advanced tooling, given that the TrueDepth camera system must be able to read and recognize faces through the pixels of the display without distorting or interfering with the content.

Kuo also today shared details on the 2022 ‌iPhone‌ lineup, saying that Apple plans to abandon the 5.4-inch mini form factor.

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...

Top Rated Comments

brgjoe Avatar
59 months ago
If true, that will most likely be my next phone purchase.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MakeAppleAwesomeAgain Avatar
59 months ago
We've been waiting for "Under Display Touch ID" for four years. I guess we can wait a few more years for this. I've upgraded from a 7 to a 12 last year, and after six months, I wouldn't say Face ID is better or worse than Touch ID. Let's not pretend Touch ID was perfect, but I'd love to have a device that has both, which presumably increases the success of unlocking. My phone is in my jeans pocket most of the time, so with the iPhone 7, I got used to placing my thumb on the home button while grabbing it. It would be cool if Face ID would kick in when Touch ID fails.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Metrosey Avatar
59 months ago
Guess it’s Kuo’s day today, Kudos to Kuo.

Edit - Kuo, please give us some MacBook news too :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BvizioN Avatar
59 months ago

Let's hope they do better than previous attempts by other manufacturers:



There will still be holes through the display for the cameras and sensors since it's impossible to shoot through solid surfaces. So they just cover the holes with a looser set of pixels to disguise it. But the holes are still there.

I'm interested to see what Apple can do with this... though I'm not bothered by current solutions.

I'd actually prefer matching bezels on the top and bottom of the phone and put good front-facing speakers there!

But that's just me... :p
That's why Apple does not play the "me first" game. They wait for the tech to mature.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ckater Avatar
59 months ago
Tomorrow: Kuo: Apple to use way better batteries in 2024
The next day: Kuo: Apple to implement 3D photography in 2025
The next day: Kuo: Apple to add physical, haptic feedback in 2026
The next day: Kuo: Apple to reduce body thickness of some devices to half in 2027
The next day: Kuo: Apple to build one-piece-of-glass-only see-though iPhones in 2028

It's a bit ridiculous. Of course Apple has a road map. Of course, this may change and some features will slip in the next year or even later.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ColdShadow Avatar
59 months ago
seems like I won’t be upgrading my Xs Max for another few years.

I’m sick and tired of Face ID.
I want under display touch ID,much more zoom and Macro camera ,not just casual,selfie camera with more megapixels and refinements.

Until then,I won’t be interested in any iPhone.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)