Leaker vaguely comments on under-screen camera in iPhone Fold [U]

iPhone Fold will have Face ID embedded in the display – leaker | 9to5Mac mockup

We’ve been hearing about a foldable iPhone for a great many years, but things do finally seem to be solidifying, with an iPhone Fold now expected to launch next year. The latest report indicates that it will have another long-awaited feature: Face ID embedded beneath the display.

Update: In a follow-up post, the same leaker has stated that this is not expected, but with an unexplained reference to an “internal screen test” of an “under-screen camera” …

iPhone Fold expected next year

Rumors of a foldable iPhone data back to at least 2017, boosted by an Apple patent for a folding display later the same year.

Things heated up last year after a leaked memo from Apple’s John Ternus described the company’s iPhone roadmap as “the most ambitious in the product’s history.” This was followed by separate reports from the WSJ and Bloomberg suggesting that 2026 would finally be the year when it happens.

For years, it had been unclear which of two form-factors Apple might adopt: a Flip or a Fold. It now seems clear that Apple is going the Fold route, where a normal-sized iPhone will unfold into something roughly the size of an iPad mini.

Face ID embedded in the display

Embedding the actual front-facing camera into an iPhone display is technically possible today, but Android makers have revealed the compromises in quality this would involve. It will happen eventually, but not any time soon.

We’ve long been expecting Face ID to be embedded in the display to happen first, with a recent patent pointing to Apple having solved the key challenge here.

While it’s possible for infrared light to travel through displays, IR transmission is extremely poor, which would make face-recognition much slower and less reliable than it is now.

Apple has previously toyed with selectively deactivating certain pixels in order to improve transmission, but a patent granted yesterday (spotted by Patently Apple) describes a simpler and more reliable approach: removing some subpixels.

Coming to the iPhone Fold, says leaker

A leaker with a decent track record initially appeared to suggest that this tech will be used in the iPhone Fold. Digital chat station (DCS) said that the outer screen will have a punch-hole camera, while the inner screen will have “under-screen camera technology.”

Here is a heavyweight exclusive information, Apple folding screen. Inner screen [has] under-screen camera technology

We noted at the time that while this could point to an embedded camera, the same source has previously referenced a prototype display with embedded Face ID, so is almost certainly referring to this.

Update: DCS has now made a follow-up post:

Apple’s folding screen is an internal screen test under-screen camera, which is likely not to have 3D face components. The next two generations of iPhones are still in the form of digging holes.

It’s therefore unclear what they are suggesting, other than perhaps an early test of tech not expected to make it into the product. It’s notable that Kuo expected Apple to use Touch ID rather than Face ID, not believing there was sufficient thickness to embed the latter tech into the display.

iPhone Fold screen dimensions

DCS also claims to have the exact dimensions and pixel resolutions of both inner and outer displays.

Inner screen – 7.76″± 2713*1920p – under-screen camera technology
Outer screen – 5.49″±2088*1422p – screen hole-digging scheme

This aligns with a report last month in which Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo described the dimensions as 5.5-inch outer and 7.8-inch inner.

9to5Mac’s Take

We’ve reached the point where there is a clear consensus that the iPhone Fold will launch next year – or, at least, that this is Apple’s current plan.

It’s unclear at this stage how much of an impact the device might make. At least two analysts expect it to revitalize iPhone sales, but with a potential price-tag of around $2,000, I personally expect it to be much more of a niche product.

I’d expect the first generation to be much more akin to Vision Pro: a proof of concept whose primary role is to pave the way for more affordable future models.