iPhone 18 leak hints at Apple’s first under-display Face ID system

Open your phone’s built-in measuring app Most modern phones come with a preinstalled measuring tool. iPhones have the Measure app, while many Android phones include a similar tool in Google’s Measure or AR features. Just open the app, allow camera access and point it at the object you want to measure.

Fresh leaks suggest Apple may finally be ready to move Face ID beneath the display with the iPhone 18 lineup next year, a shift that has been rumoured for nearly half a decade. A well-known Chinese leaker, posting under the name Smart Pikachu on Weibo, claims Apple is testing an in-display authentication system built around “spliced micro-transparent glass”. This approach is said to allow the TrueDepth infrared sensors to operate through the screen without distortion, something that has held back Apple’s under-display ambitions until now.

According to the source, Apple has reportedly advised suppliers to speed up component readiness, hinting at active development rather than a distant experiment. The leak mentions the iPhone 18 series in general but does not specify whether the feature will be limited to the Pro models or rolled out more widely. If Apple adopts this system, the Dynamic Island could shrink considerably, leaving only a small cut-out for the front camera, similar to current Android flagships.

The broader rumour landscape remains divided. The Information has previously reported that the iPhone 18 Pro range could drop the Dynamic Island entirely in favour of a single pinhole camera positioned in the upper-left corner. Other reports, however, believe Apple will retain the Dynamic Island but in a more compact form. Analyst Ross Young has long maintained that under-display Face ID is planned for the iPhone 18 Pro models, though a complete removal of the cut-out may not happen immediately. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also indicated that Apple is likely to reduce the size of the existing system rather than eliminate it in one go.

The timeline fits Apple’s typical schedule. The iPhone 18 series is expected to launch in September, though some models may slip to 2027 and arrive alongside the successor to the iPhone Air. The iPhone 18 Pro models, meanwhile, could debut with several firsts: the long-awaited foldable iPhone, the new A20 chipset on a 2nm process for improved efficiency, and Apple’s own C2 modem, which may finally replace Qualcomm’s presence in the Pro lineup.

Before that, Apple is said to be preparing the iPhone 17e for early 2026, positioned as the most affordable device to feature Apple Intelligence. With multiple product lines in motion, the next two years mark a significant transition in Apple’s display and silicon strategy, and under-display Face ID could be one of the most visible shifts yet.