Apple to scrap its iconic iPhone notch next year

Apple has been having a 'will they, won't they' moment with its iconic iPhone notch for a while now, with leaks and rumors suggesting it's on the way out, and the latest one adds another element to the mix that we're just not sure about. 

The iPhone 12 launched with the notch intact, but word on the street is that the notch will be wiped from the face of the iPhone 14 display entirely, but next year's iPhone 13 will reportedly bridge the gap between the notch and the under display camera (UDC) of the iPhone 14 with a holepunch selfie camera.

Reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo dropped the tidbit this week, which was reported on by tipster Jon Prosser in his Front Page Tech show, and the news of a halfway stopover from Notchville to UDC-town has Prosser as sceptical as the rest of us.  

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Apple is undoubtedly going to have to eliminate the notch soon, given it's gargantuan size relative to its Android rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S21, and the move towards under screen cameras. Samsung is even rumored to be debuting its own UDC with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 this year, while companies like Xiaomi have already shown off their own efforts with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra. 

While scrapping the notch entirely in two years time for the debut of the iPhone 14 makes sense, a redesign next year that gets rid of the iPhone's signature aesthetic while still touting a visible camera in the middle of the display seems like an odd choice to make. Kuo does say that the holepunch selfie camera may be limited to the iPhone 13 Pro models, but he's not certain. 

The iPhone notch also houses Apple's Face ID, which hasn't necessarily worked as well as it wanted, especially with the proliferation of face masks; but Touch ID is rumored to be making a comeback with next year's iPhone 13, so we may see Apple get rid of Face ID along with the notch, but that would be another unexpected development. 

Apple fans will also be excited about the prospect of a portless iPhone 13, but anyone holding out for a USB-C connection is all out of luck – Kuo says it's not happening.