Apple is testing a foldable iPad Pro with under-screen Face ID
By ForGeeks Apple is developing a foldable iPad Pro, and one of the current prototypes features sub-screen Face ID. This was reported by a prominent insider Digital Chat Station on the Weibo platform.
Folding screen and new Face ID technology
The prototype features an 18.8-inch foldable display and uses a metallic lens superstructure that hides Face ID sensors under the screen. This allows the device to support seamless face recognition with no visible cutouts or holes in the screen.
Apple has already been criticized for its gradual shift from “bangs” to the Dynamic Island cutout needed for Face ID to work. The new technology could not only improve the visual experience of the screen, but could also appear on the iPhone in the future.
When to expect a foldable iPad?
An analyst firm DSCC (via MacRumors) predicts that Apple plans to release a foldable iPad Pro with an 18.8-inch OLED display in 2027. At the same time, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that LG will begin mass-producing displays for a foldable MacBook (with a 20.2-inch or 18.8-inch screen) as early as late 2025.
Other sources, such as The Wall Street Journal, report that Apple is working on a fold-out device that turns into a 19-inch screen and acts as a laptop. According to Mark Gurman (Bloomberg), the company is looking to get rid of the display crease that remains a problem with Android devices.
Foldable iPhone – also in development
Besides the iPad, Apple is testing a “book” foldable iPhone, which could come out at the end of next year. However, due to space constraints, the device will not get Face ID, but will instead use Touch ID in the side button, as in some iPad models.
The device will not have Face ID, but instead use Touch ID in the side button, as in some iPad models.
Apple’s foldable devices promise to change the market, but exactly when they’ll arrive remains a question.
