Apple Leak Reveals Significant iPhone Design Changes

While it was by far the most attention grabbing (and expensive) smartphone of 2017, Apple AAPL -0.51%’s iPhone X also came with a serious design compromise. Now a new leak within Apple’s own supply chain reports the company’s number one priority is to fix it...

The consistently reliable ET News says industry insiders have revealed Apple is working with LG Innotek to significantly reduce the size of the so-called ‘notch’ on the iPhone X. ET News states this will be done by combining the front-facing camera with Face ID, allowing the notch to be cut away.

iPhone X 2018 concept by Concept Creator showing a reduced notchThis would be no small achievement. Face ID currently works using three parts - a dot projector, flood illuminator and infrared camera - so any future front facing camera would need to be truly multi-purpose. That said, even if the camera could replace a single Face ID module, it would still allow the notch to be reduced in size.

For its part LG Innotek has been clear where its focus lies. $821M was ploughed into its facilities last year, with the company stating “This investment is for camera modules of mobile devices and businesses for new modules.”

ET News notes that while LG Innotek has not explicitly stated this will be for Apple, industry sources “suspect that this new investment was made for Apple’s face recognition modules.”

Unfortunately ET News only added to the credibility of its report by adding a disappointing caveat: its insider says that although Face ID will be added to more Apple products during 2018, the smaller notch is not expected to be ready until 2019.

Ultimately the sooner this advancement happens the better because, despite claims the iPhone X ‘disappears’ with time (not for me), it remains the most polarising aspect of what is otherwise an extremely impressive smartphone. Perhaps if Apple simply brought the price down in 2018, we’d all be more prepared to accept it...