The U.S. Patent and trademark office published a patent application filed by Apple that shows how it might have replaced the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro models.
revealing that Apple might be using a light folding projector to replace some of the larger components associated with the Face ID feature.
The dot projector on the True Depth Camera system used for Face ID projects 30,000 infrared dots that are invisible but are used to create an algorithm of the user's face. In the aforementioned patent application, Apple writes about the use of a light folding projector that would allow it to increase the size of the display and decrease the size of the cutouts used on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
In the application, Apple says,"A device may include a light-folded projector that may include an infrared light emitter and a light folding element. The light folding element may receive IR light emitted from the IR light emitter and fold the IR light one or more times to guide the IR light passing through the light folding element to exit the device to an environment.
The company continues,"The notch provides accommodation for imaging and sensing components such as the front-facing camera , infrared projector, and IR detector within the edge-to-edge display. While the notch allows for bezels to be reduced or eliminated, it still limits the overall display area for a device. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce footprint of the imaging and sensing components to maximize the display area for a device.
Apple will introduce the new iPhone 14 lines on September 7th at 10 am PT . You can view the live stream atGet the most important news, reviews and deals in mobile tech delivered straight to your inbox