Only the Face ID infrared camera sits beneath the display on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The infrared dot projector and front-facing camera remain in the central opening, so the change moves one component—not the entire Face ID system—under the screen.
Which Face ID components sit beneath the display?
The infrared camera is positioned beneath the display, toward the upper-left corner. The selfie camera and infrared dot projector stay together in the central opening, known as the Dynamic Island.
How infrared light passes through the display
Infrared light is invisible to the eye but detectable by the camera. Above the infrared camera, every other row of display pixels is missing, with the denser pattern returning toward the edge. The gaps provide a path for infrared light to pass through the display to and from the camera.
Pixel density directly over the infrared camera module is reportedly reduced by half. That figure applies to the small area above the module. Pixels in that area are also reported to be made brighter to compensate for the lower density.
What changes in the central opening
Moving the infrared camera out of the central opening makes the Dynamic Island smaller. The smaller opening is also reported to accommodate three Live Activities at once, compared with two.
Separately, Apple’s iOS 27.0.1 release notes list a fix for unexpected restarts on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max when Face ID fails to authenticate.
