The notch has been an important part of iPhone design since the iPhone X was launched in 2017. However, the notch may not remain for much longer, as there are rumors that the iPhone 13 will omit the notch altogether.

However, the news may be bittersweet: Face ID remains an important feature of the next iPhone, but Apple is said to be increasing the size of the bezel to hide the necessary cameras and sensors.

The news comes from Twitter's @MauriQHD, who claims that Apple has a prototype of the iPhone 13 and has dropped the display notch by thickening the bezels on all sides of the phone. Unfortunately, the design may not have been finalized, and we may not see it until the iPhone 14 launches next year.

The iPhone notch is important because Face ID requires many sensors to work, and those sensors need a place to stay. Android phones do not have advanced biometric sensor technology, so they can make do with smaller punch-hole selfie cameras.

We've already heard that Apple is reducing the size of the notch, but this is the first time we've heard of it going away entirely. Making the bezel thicker to hide the notch is just a trick, since the notch isn't actually going anywhere.

Of course, Apple's insistence on thinness and design aesthetics suggests that they will ensure that the iPhone 13's bezels are kept as minimal as possible. If this rumor comes to fruition, we can expect to see a much smaller notch, if the notch is essentially absorbed into the bezel of the display.

However, the larger bezel should not result in less screen space. We have already heard that the iPhone 13 could be 0.26 mm larger than the iPhone 12. Not only would that add extra space for internal components (such as a larger battery), but it would also mean that Apple could potentially bulk up the bezel and have enough space to hide the notch without having to shave the screen itself.

Of course, if you don't like Face ID, there have long been rumors that Apple will bring back Touch ID in the form of an under-display fingerprint sensor. We have also heard that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will also feature a 1TB storage option, Wi-Fi 6e, a "folding lens" camera that offers longer optical zoom, and possibly a LiDAR sensor.

The iPhone 13 is going to be a very different kind of device from the iPhone 12. And that has us very excited to see what Apple has planned for us this fall.