Apple ditches full under-display Face ID for the iPhone 18 Pro, which will ship in 2026 with a smaller cutout to keep unlock speed and accuracy, preserving the Dynamic Island's Live Activities.

Engineers at Apple tested placing Face ID sensors beneath the display but discovered that unlock times slowed and facial recognition lost precision, according to Fixed Focus Digital. The Face ID module demands tight sensor placement to deliver reliable performance, and current under-display methods cannot meet those standards without compromising speed or accuracy.

Instead, the company chose a smaller pill-shaped cutout that maintains every existing Dynamic Island feature—timers, music controls, notification displays—while reducing the visual footprint. This ensures continuity for Pro models starting with the iPhone 14 Pro and means developers need not rewrite their Dynamic Island API code, preserving the user experience iPhone owners have grown accustomed to.

For consumers, this decision means the iPhone 18 Pro will deliver the same fast, reliable Face ID unlocking they expect, with a less intrusive screen cutout than current models. Apple has also ordered ultra-thin Face ID modules for future devices, signaling that sensor miniaturization remains a long-term priority even as the seamless display vision awaits breakthroughs in optical layer technology.