iPhone 14 Pro: Late rumour could explain how Apple intends to use odd new display design

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Apple’s new iPhone 14 Pro display could include parts that are blacked out, according to a late rumour.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are said to lose the “notch” that has defined the top of Apple’s handsets for years. The small area protrudes into the top of the display, and is required to hold components such as the facial recognition sensor.

But the new premium phones are rumoured to be moving that into two cutouts that are actually in the display itself. The two are shaped like a hole and a pill, according to a rumour.

That had led to questions over whether the screen would wrap around those two cutouts, and whether that might be a frustrating intrusion into the display itself.

However, a new rumour suggests that those two cutouts will actually appear as one larger cutout. The bits of display that are between the two will be blacked out, making it look as if they are joined up.

The new rumour was first reported by Macrumors and corroborated by reliable Apple leaker and journalist Mark Gurman. Since earlier reports tend to be built on leaked hardware from Apple’s supply chain, those initial rumours may have been based on devices that were switched off.

With such a design, Apple would avoid having a separation between the two cutouts. But it may continue to use the display between for certain purposes, such as lighting up when the microphone or camera are being used, which is currently shown in the “ears” between the notch.

Apple will answer those questions for good when it hosts its “Far Out” event on 6 September. It is expected to reveal four new phones – a small and large version of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro – as well as updates to the Apple Watch line.