Apple tests micro‑transparent glass for under‑display Face ID in iPhone 18 Pro

Apple appears to be moving in on under‑display Face ID: a Chinese leaker says the company is testing the technology for the iPhone 18 Pro and is using a special stitched micro‑transparent glass in the zone above the sensors. The goal is to let the infrared components of the TrueDepth system see through the display without distortion while the screen itself maintains a normal image.

The source of the leak, insider Smart Pikachu, reports that a local window of micro‑transparent glass is formed inside the panel to improve infrared transmission. In essence, it echoes industry methods such as micro‑perforation or nanostructuring, where a specific area of the glass and display stack is made more permeable to the infrared spectrum. It’s also claimed that Apple’s progress has prompted adjacent suppliers to accelerate preparations in case the project moves into a pre‑series stage.

Rumors about under‑display Face ID for the iPhone 18 Pro have been circulating for months, with the main debate centering on how drastically Apple might rework the front of the device. One scenario suggests Dynamic Island almost disappears, leaving only a hole for the selfie camera, described as a pinhole in the upper‑left corner. Another envisions Dynamic Island staying but shrinking: the TrueDepth sensors shift under the display, while a more compact cutout remains primarily for the camera.

The new detail about a micro‑transparent window nudges expectations toward the latter: make the island smaller by hiding most of the sensors beneath the screen, without necessarily scrapping the cutout. Taken at face value, that reads less like a radical redesign and more like a cautious evolution. And while early leak phrasing about the lineup can be fuzzy, most chatter so far links under‑display Face ID specifically to the Pro models.

If Apple’s plans don’t change, the iPhone 18 Pro is expected in the fall, in the traditional September window. In parallel, leaks also discuss a reshuffled release cadence: the flagships could debut separately from the standard models, with the regular iPhone 18 and the more affordable iPhone 18e potentially arriving later.