The iPhone 16's Face ID design may be updated as Apple has terminated its partnership with certain component suppliers.

In an article discussing the state of the semiconductor industry in the UK, DigiTimes mentions a May UK article in The Telegraph regarding Coherent, an iPhone component supplier based in northeast England. Coherent manufactures components for the iPhone's Face ID unlocking/authentication system, and was considering selling or closing its factory after Apple and a supposed larger partner ended their contract.

From this information, we can assume that Apple has decided to shake things up with Face ID components for future iPhones. However, we do not know what specific changes are possible.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on an under-display Face ID that would hide the infrared dot projector and reader under the panel for a cleaner look. This has also been rumored for the iPhone 16, but according to respected leakers, next year's iPhone 17 should be when we see the first signs of it.

It is possible that the end of the coherent contract is simply a case of Apple replacing one set of components with functionally identical ones from another supplier. This is an upgrade that the Cupertino back office cares more about than iPhone users. But we would expect that if Apple replaced the components, there would be some tangible upgrade for customers, such as more reliable and faster performance.

The best chance to learn about these changes is in September, the traditional month for iPhone launches. To learn more about what is rumored to be coming to the 2024 class of iPhones, including new capture buttons and upgraded cameras, visit our iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max hubs.