Long ago, thick bezels on a phone were the norm. Then came the era of the notch, which kept getting smaller over the years. And these days, the punch-hole design is everywhere. The major exception? Apple. iPhones have stuck with the same wide, boat-shaped since 2017, but that might finally change next year. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has mentioned in a research note (via Macrumors) that Apple will finally warm up to the idea of hole-punch cutouts in 2022. Kuo notes that ‘some iPhones’  might flaunt a hole-punch design next year. 

“Kuo said the hole-punch display design will be adopted by high-end 2022 iPhones at a minimum, and if production yields are good enough, all 2022 iPhone models may use this design.”

Finally, iPhones with a fresh design!

Kuo specifically mentions that high-end iPhones will be the first to flaunt a hole-punch, which means we are likely going to see a new design on the 2022 Pro and Pro Max models. Interestingly, we first heard the rumor of a hole-punch on a ‘5G iPhone’ all the way back in 2018. Interestingly, another leak that surfaced this year suggests that the upcoming iPad might serve as a testbed for punch-hole design on iPad devices. Have a look:

But bidding goodbye to the notch is not merely an aesthetic change. A no-notch approach means only two things – either Apple has removed the Face ID hardware on the device and equipped it with a Touch ID module, OR, the company has somehow managed to cram all those sensors into a tiny circular cutout. The latter is quite unlikely though. 

An in-display Touch ID sensor on iPhones is likely happening next year.

Lately, multiple reports have claimed that Apple is experimenting with in-display Touch ID fingerprint sensors. More specifically, Apple is reportedly testing optical in-screen fingerprint sensing modules, unlike the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensors that you’ll find on the likes of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. We’ve also come across such a possibility in Apple’s patent applications as well

However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently mentioned that Apple is not entirely going to abandon Face ID hardware in favor of in-screen fingerprint sensors. The hardware not only facilitates authentication, but also brings to life features such as Memoji. Back in June, we also saw an alleged iPhone prototype without a notch and rocking an in-display Touch ID hardware.