Apple is reportedly testing iPhone 16 Pro with a punch-hole cut-out

iPhone 15 series is the latest and we are still a year away from the next-gen iPhone 16 series but that hasn’t stopped the rumors from pounding on the internet. According to tipster Majin Bu, Apple is likely testing out an iPhone 16 Pro model with a punch-hole design instead of the much-acclaimed dynamic island.

Apple is testing out a new design that might not see the day of light until the iPhone 17 series although Bu says, we will have to wait till March next year to get any confirmation. Upgrading to a punch-hole cut-out would give iPhone 16 Pro models more screen real estate, however, it does with its challenges tackling which, retaining the Dynamic Island seems like a probable option.

Why, you would ask? The current Dynamic Island doesn’t just have aesthetic value but offers iPhones its functionalities. The notch houses the front camera, dot projector, and Face ID module among other sensors. It means if Apple were to standardize a punch-hole notch on future iPhone series, Apple would have to make room for all the sensors that go inside the dynamic island.

A Korean publication The Elec claimed that Apple iPhone 16 Pro could get an under-the-display Face ID that kind of resolves the issue mentioned above. Pro’s notch can easily house the front-facing camera. However, the efficiency of anything that goes under the display has suffered and I am quite certain Apple won’t take that kind of risk.

Apple could be testing out the design with an iPhone 16 Pro and punch-hole cut-out but that doesn’t mean the phone will launch with it. Both Samsung and Apple are known to test out various prototypes before finalizing one and even then, it goes under refinement until ready to serve the market.

Having a punch-hole cut-out would mean a larger screen of real estate. Although Apple has plans to use under-display Face ID plus punch-hole, it is set for 2025 with the iPhone 17 series as per DSCC’s Ross Young. The first non-Pro iPhone to get an under-display implementation is the iPhone 19 in 2027 if we go by DSCC’s iPhone display roadmap.

However, in case the former beat turns out to be true, we could see a punch-hole on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max followed by standardized on the iPhone 17 series.

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