iPhone 14 Pro models now said to feature ‘hole + pill design’, keeping things unique

Later this year, Apple is going to more than likely announce a new iPhone. More than one variant, as has become custom. And two of those variants, the Pro models, are said to ditch the notch in favor of a slightly different design aesthetic.

There have been rumors swirling around for quite some time that Apple is going to finally move away from “The Notch,” a design element it introduced with the iPhone X. And this year may finally see it come to fruition. It’s been said that Apple will adopt the “hole-punch” design, offering up a small circle cutout in the display for the front-facing (TrueDepth) camera.

Indeed, earlier this month it was reported that the hole-punch would actually be more oval in shape, shaped like a pill, rather than a standard circle. While that would be different than most of the smartphones out there with a hole-punch design, it wouldn’t be completely different. There are some devices out there with more than one front-facing camera, and those cutouts are more pill-shaped as a result.

Now, according to a tweet issued by Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (via 9to5Mac), Apple may keep a more unique element to its upcoming Pro-designated smartphones. According to Ross, Apple “will have a hole + pill design on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.” That may lead to some speculation that the smaller, more circular hole will be unseen. But that won’t be the case, based on Ross’s tweet:

That would certainly be a unique design choice. But does it actually solve anything? One of the primary “concerns” over the notch is how much of the display it takes up, cutting into visible area (especially when watching videos or looking at photos). The rumors that Apple would drop the notch, or shrink it down, aimed to alleviate those concerns. One hoped, anyway.

That image that Ross shared in his tweet was originally tweeted out by an anonymous Twitter account, back in September of last year.

But with this particular design, if it does turn out to be true, this new design doesn’t appear to be looking to do that. Especially if the smaller, circular cutout isn’t invisible. Now, it’s certainly possible this new layout is smaller than the current notch, so if that’s what you’re hoping for, fingers crossed that turns out to be the case.

What do you think of this design? All for it?

Concept art published by 9to5Mac.