A Chinese leaker asserts that Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for the iPhone 18 Pro models that will be released next year. These models will have a special “spliced micro-transparent glass” window built into the display.
Apple is testing the special glass to ensure that the TrueDepth system’s infrared sensors can pass through the panel without being distorted, as stated by “Smart Pikachu,” a Weibo account that has previously provided accurate supply chain details on Chinese Android hardware.
The approach is similar to existing industry techniques that use micro-perforated or nano-patterned glass to selectively improve IR transmission in a localized region above the sensor array.
Additionally, the report suggests that Apple’s work has already prompted related suppliers to accelerate production preparations.
There have been several rumors suggesting the iPhone 18 Pro models will include under-display Face ID, but some disagreement over whether we’ll see the technology in 2026.
According to a May report from The Information, iPhone 18 Pro models will only have a pinhole cutout in the upper left corner of the display instead of a Dynamic Island. However, other rumors suggest that there will still be a Dynamic Island.
Analyst Ross Young stated that the iPhone 18 Pro models may feature under-display Face ID; however, this does not imply that Dynamic Island will not be present at all. Instead, the pill-shaped hole will be smaller.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has also mentioned a streamlined Dynamic Island for the iPhone 18 Pro models.
A smaller Dynamic Island that moves TrueDepth sensing components below the screen while maintaining a smaller cutout for the front camera is supported by the new claim of a micro-transparent glass window.
While Smart Pikachu does not specifically mention the Pro models, supply-chain sources often use “series” loosely when discussing early panel and materials testing, and all previous rumors have related to Apple’s high-end models.
Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 Pro models in September, alongside an all-new foldable iPhone, as part of a new split-cycle launch. Neither the more affordable iPhone 18e nor the regular iPhone 18 is expected to be released until early 2027.
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