For years, the smartphone industry has chased the dream of a truly seamless, all-screen device. With recent reports suggesting Apple is targeting 2027 for an iPhone 20 Pro with no cutouts or bezels, that dream feels closer than ever. We sat down with technology expert Oscar Vail to discuss the immense technical challenges of hiding cameras and sensors under a display, explore how this move is already forcing competitors to rethink their strategies, and look beyond the screen to what the future of smartphone design holds.
The article highlights Apple’s plan for an iPhone 20 Pro in 2027 with under-display Face ID and cameras. What are the key technical hurdles in making these under-screen sensors invisible and fully functional, and what step-by-step innovations will be necessary to achieve a truly flawless, cutout-free display?
The challenge is a fascinating duality of physics and software. First, you have to make a section of an active display transparent enough for a camera and, more critically, the complex array of Face ID sensors to function without compromise. This involves manipulating the pixel matrix and the wiring in that specific area, a process that risks creating a visible patch or a ‘ghost’ on the screen. The second, and arguably bigger, hurdle is correcting for the light that does get through. It’s passing through layers of pixels and glass, which distorts it. The breakthroughs will come in stages: we’ll first see improved display materials and pixel layouts that are less obtrusive, followed by a massive leap in computational photography algorithms that can intelligently reconstruct the image or sensor data, effectively erasing the screen’s interference. Perfecting this for Face ID, which needs precise depth information, is the final boss of this challenge.
The piece mentions that Chinese manufacturers are already developing rival phones, aided by not needing to hide complex Face ID sensors. What is their likely go-to-market strategy, and what specific metrics, like under-display camera quality or price point, will determine their success against Apple?
Their strategy is to be first to the finish line for the “all-screen” aesthetic in the mainstream Android market. By focusing only on the under-display camera, they bypass the much harder problem of hiding Face ID. This gives them a significant head start. Their success will be measured by two key factors. The first is the quality of that front-facing camera. If selfies come out looking hazy or discolored, the high-end market they are targeting will immediately dismiss it as a gimmick. The second is offering this futuristic design at a price that undercuts Apple and even Samsung. They can create a powerful narrative: “Why wait until 2027 and pay a premium for a perfect screen when you can have it now?” If the camera quality is at least 90% as good as a traditional punch-hole and the price is right, they could capture a significant portion of the premium market.
The author claims Apple forces industry change, citing the notch as a “past transgression.” Using a specific anecdote or example, could you explain the ripple effect an Apple design choice has on the supply chain and why competitors often seem to wait for Apple before committing to major innovations?
The notch is the perfect case study. Before the iPhone X, the idea of cutting a piece out of a rectangular screen was almost sacrilegious to phone purists. But Apple didn’t just design a notch; they ordered tens of millions of custom OLED panels with that exact cutout. This single act created a massive, stable demand that incentivized suppliers like Samsung Display to perfect the manufacturing process. Suddenly, producing notched screens at scale was a solved problem. For other phone makers, the path of least resistance was to adopt the trend. The R&D was done, the supply chain was ready, and Apple had already taken the PR hit and normalized the design for consumers. It’s less about a lack of imagination and more about risk mitigation. Apple has the brand loyalty and capital to absorb the risk of a major change, effectively paving the road for everyone else to follow.
The RedMagic 10 Pro is presented as a rare example of a phone that already achieved a “perfect display.” Why do you believe innovations from brands like RedMagic often struggle to set market trends, and what specific business strategies would they need to challenge the industry’s reliance on Apple?
Innovations from a brand like RedMagic, while technically impressive, often exist within a bubble. RedMagic builds phenomenal devices, but they are hyper-focused on the gaming niche. The RedMagic 10 Pro’s flawless display is a key feature for an immersive gaming experience, but the brand’s marketing, software, and distribution channels are all tailored to that specific audience. To set a market-wide trend, a feature needs to be part of a holistic package that appeals to the average consumer. To challenge the status quo, RedMagic would need to fundamentally shift its strategy. This would involve a massive investment in mainstream marketing, building relationships with carriers in North America and Europe, and creating a software experience that feels less like a gamer’s toolkit and more like an intuitive, everyday operating system. They need to convince the world they’re not just a gaming phone company, but a top-tier smartphone company, and that’s an incredibly expensive and difficult pivot to make.
What is your forecast for the future of smartphone design in the five years following this all-screen revolution?
Once the all-screen display becomes the industry standard, which it will, the focus of innovation will have to shift. The pursuit of the perfect, monolithic slab will be over. I believe the next frontier will be in form and material. We’ll see a divergence in design philosophy. Some companies will double down on making the device disappear through even thinner profiles and advanced haptics that blur the line between hardware and software. Others will embrace more expressive and varied form factors, moving beyond the simple fold to explore rollable or even more exotic shapes. The phone’s physical identity will become a major differentiator again, not just its screen-to-body ratio. The game will no longer be about removing bezels, but about what you do with the object once the screen itself is a solved problem.
