Ever since the iPhone X arrived in 2017 with a rather large notch, people have been obsessed with the iPhone’s front camera cutout. Over the years, we’ve gone from a notch (iPhone X) to a smaller notch (iPhone 13) to the Dynamic Island (iPhone 14 Pro), and back to the notch (iPhone 16e). And now reports say Apple is looking to gradually get rid of the cutout altogether within five years.
To recap, Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young reports that Apple will tweak the front camera cutout over the next five iPhone generations before completely removing it in 2030. He claims that the iPhone 17 will have the same Dynamic Island as today’s models but that this will shrink next year before Apple puts all Face ID components under the display in 2028.
Just like the notch and Dynamic Island were hard to picture before they arrived, it can be hard to imagine what the iPhone will look like with different camera cutouts. Thankfully, Filip Vabrousek has given us a handy visualization of the next six iPhone screens. And in response, Ross Young has replied, “Yes. Thanks” in approval.
Filip Vabrousek/X
So based on Young’s findings, these images appear to be accurate. That means the camera will be positioned in the corner rather than centered as they are on Android phones. It should be noted that the front camera isn’t centered on current iPhones either (it’s slightly off-center to the right when looking at it), and the Face ID sensors (which don’t exist on Android phones) likely prohibit the camera from being completely centered.
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17—with the same-sized Dynamic Island—at an event in September. But if these images are close to the truth, the real fun will start next year.