Next year's iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature hole-punched LTPO OLED display panels supplied by Samsung and LG, according to Korean site The Elec.
Rumors that the 2022 iPhone models won't have a notch started in March of this year, when Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said they will instead adopt a hole-punch design, a design that Android devices have used for a few years now. The hole-punch is a center-placed cutout for the front-facing camera that allows for a larger display area in lieu of a notch.
Kuo believes that at a minimum, the high-end iPhone models will have the hole-punch design, though if yields are good, all iPhone models coming in 2022 could feature the same notchless design.
More recent rumors have suggested the non-Pro iPhone 14 models, which will measure in at 6.1 and 6.7 inches, will continue to have a notch, with Apple limiting the hole-punch design to the more expensive iPhones. There will not be an "iPhone 14 mini," with this year's iteration of the smaller device being the last, according to reports.
According to the latest report from The Elec, Samsung, Apple's dominant OLED panel supplier, will supply all of the hole-punched panels for the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, while sharing orders for the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max with LG Display for the first time.
Samsung supplied the notched LTPO TFT OLED panels used in both Pro models in this year's iPhone 13 series, but LG Display didn't win any panel orders for iPhone 13, although it did take part in the development of the panels with Apple.
Winning some orders for the iPhone 14 Pro Max is therefore a big boost to LG as it seeks to get a foot in the door of Apple's iPhone supply chain. Meanwhile, it allows Apple to reduce its reliance on Samsung as well as get leverage in price negotiations.
With no notch, Apple will a implement a different solution for Face ID, and rumors suggest that it could be placed under the display. For everything we know about the iPhone 14, check out our dedicated guide.
