One of the iPhone's most distinctive features is the notch, a small area at the top of the screen that houses the camera and face sensor. However, this may become a thing of the past as Apple's Korean development company LG Innotek has begun work on an under display camera (UDC).

A UDC is essentially a camera that sits under the screen and does not require a physical hole in the screen to function; once equipped with a UDC, the iPhone screen can be made seamless, providing a larger viewing area. However, several important caveats need to be considered.

The first is that since the camera's field of view is not restricted, less light will reach the image sensor. This is because light must pass through the screen to reach it, which darkens the picture and may degrade image quality. This is one of the main design considerations for smartphone developers.

According to The Elec, LG Innotek has found a way to combat this problem; LG Innotek has developed a special "free-form optics" multi-lens system that aims to reduce, if not completely eliminate, this problem. This lens system is intended to increase the light ratio and improve peripheral image quality; LG Innotek has been publishing patents on this technology since last December and is likely to publish more patents as development progresses.

This new system will allow UDC to have the same light saturation as current smartphone cameras. Apple has received samples of UDC from an unknown vendor but reportedly did not find them to be of high enough quality to be worth purchasing; LG Display, an affiliate of LG Innotek, is aware of this and is working to improve light transmission by 20% in 2023 and by 40% in 2024, with the It has begun developing its own UDC with the goal of improving light transmittance by 20% in 2023 and 40% in 2024

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Importantly, this could be related to the apparent work on the iPhone 17 Pro's under-screen FaceID sensor. This information was tweeted by @DSCCRoss at X. The iPhone series design roadmap indicated that the iPhone 17 Pro would be the last model to include a circular cutout for the front-facing camera.

For the average user, the inclusion of UDC could be a major selling point.

The best iPhones are already known for having the sexiest screens on the market, and making them larger would certainly be a good choice. Apple seems to be aware of this, given that they are pushing for certain standards to be reached before considering adding features. We don't know how long it will take to develop, but Apple's notch will soon be a thing of the past.