Explained: How this Apple patent may have led to the notch being almost removed in iPhone 14 – Times of India

Apple is set to reveal new products and devices in its upcoming event which is scheduled for September 7. The Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to reveal a new Apple Watch series and the new iPhone 14 series in the upcoming event. According to a report by 9to5Mac, the company is set to replace the current notch available on the Pro variant of the iPhone 13 series will be replaced by a “pill and hole-punch” design in the upcoming iPhone 14 series.
The report also claims that the base models will keep the familiar notch design however they will be smaller in size. However, in both cases, the company has managed to include all the important components in the smaller space. As per the report, a newly published Apple patent may explain how the company was able to achieve this.
History of the iPhone notch
Apple introduced the first-ever notch with the release of the iPhone X in 2017. The notch packs multiple sensors and hardware for the iPhones which include — infrared camera, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, speaker, microphone and the front camera among others.

How Apple reduced the notch in iPhone 13
The company was able to reduce the notch in the iPhone 13 with two changes — removing the speaker and microphone from the notch to the bezel and separating Face ID components. However, Apple is expected to use a different strategy for the Pro and non-Pro models for the iPhone 14 series.
The report suggests that the Pro variants will get two different cutouts in the screen — a hole for the front-facing camera and a pill-shaped extended oval for the other sensors. On the other hand, the non-Pro versions will maintain the notch but they will be smaller in size.
How Apple will fit all the tech into a smaller space
Patently Apple has highlighted a new patent application that might explain how Apple might achieve this. The patent states that the company will place the infrared emitter on the side, beneath the display instead of putting it within the notch/pill area and will use a prism to turn the beam 90 degrees. The prism is likely to use up less space than the emitter, which will allow the company to fit the rest of the components in a smaller notch.

The report suggests that Apple could’ve achieved the same results by positioning a mirror at 45 degrees, but one of the illustrations in the patent application specifies a prism which is made of quartz glass for infrared light.
As per the report, if Apple went with a mirror it had to use a polished metal mirror, rather than a glass one. The report also mentions that aluminium, copper, silver and gold are all used for IR mirrors. Moreover, dielectric-coated mirrors tuned to a specific wavelength can also be used but that will introduce complexity and cost, the report adds.