Apple Making Face ID Sensor Chip Smaller on Upcoming iPhones and iPads
Apple is intending to use a significantly smaller Face ID sensor chip in iPhones and iPads from late this year onwards, according to DigiTimes.
Apple has reportedly chosen to scale down the die size of the VCSEL chips used in Face ID's scanner. The move will help Apple cut production costs since more chips can be produced on one wafer, reducing total wafer output.
The redesigned VCSEL chip may allow Apple to integrate new functions into the component, but DigiTimes did not speculate on what these could include. The change may also free up internal space.
The smaller Face ID chip will apparently be used in new iPhone and iPad devices released from late 2021 onwards. The first devices to feature the new chip will presumably be the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, as well as the next generation of iPad Pro models.
DigiTimes previously said the notch on the iPhone 13 models will "shrink" in size, becoming smaller thanks to a redesigned camera module that integrates the Rx, Tx, and flood illuminator to allow for the size reduction. Barclays analysts have similarly explained that a smaller notch on iPhone 13 models will be the result of a "more tightly integrated version of the current structured light system" for Face ID. It is not clear if the smaller, more consolidated Face ID technologies in the iPhone 13 are related to this smaller VCSEL chip.
Popular Stories
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses.
Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product.
Smart Home Hub
Apple home hub (concept)
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest.
Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27.
The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely.
Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Apple is expected to release MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips soon, but you might want to pass on them, as bigger changes are around the corner.
It has been reported that the MacBook Pro will be receiving a major redesign in late 2026 or in 2027. Six new features have been rumored so far, including an OLED display, touch capabilities, a Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips...
