Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max could replace notch with a punch-hole cutout: Report | Digit

Apple might finally get rid of the notch on its upcoming iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to a report by Korean news publication, TheElec. The outlet also claims that both of these phones will include 120Hz LTPO screens with punch-hole cutouts for the selfie camera, similar to the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.  

This time around, Apple is likely sourcing screens from LG and trying to reduce its reliance on Samsung. That’s also why the brand is reportedly considering using the 60Hz LTPS screen on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, both of which will reportedly still retain the wide notch. 

According to the report, the 6.06-inch display for the iPhone 14 and the 6.7-inch display for the iPhone 14 Max will be sourced from Chinese display manufacturer BOE. The same supplier is also gearing up to provide an LTPO display for iPhones in 2023. Apple will also reportedly bring in a new iPhone SE model in 2020. 

A brief history of notches 

It was bold of Apple to add a notch to iPhones in 2017, and the gamble paid off handsomely. It did feel like a weird anomaly back then, but most other phone makers embraced the notch design anyways under the guise of maximizing the screen-to-body ratio. 

After enduring an extended phase of weird notch shapes and sizes, pop up cameras, and different alignments of the punch holes, the Android side of the table has mostly settled with a centrally-aligned punch-hole cutout as the pragmatic way forward – at least until under-display cameras are in. If Apple is indeed trying to cut its reliance on Samsung, such punch hole displays will probably be easier to source from other suppliers. 

Apple has progressively shrunk the notch on iPhones as well, but the iPhone notches have to accommodate the complex Face ID unlock mechanism and there’s only so much room to manoeuvre. If Apple indeed gets rid of the notch, it would be interesting to note how the face ID evolves or where the other Face ID components shift to. 

Of course, these are still early days to be talking about next-generation iPhones, and thus it would be wise to take these reports with a grain of salt. 

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