iPhone 18 To Have A Smaller Dynamic Island, But The Cameras Won't Go Under The Screen

The iPhone 17 series, including the iPhone Air, is available for preorder online ahead of this Friday's release, and Apple's latest lineup appears to be selling quite well. While buyers appreciate the newest iPhones, some people might already be wondering what's coming next year, especially the crowd of iPhone users who won't upgrade to one of the four iPhones Apple unveiled last week.

After all, Apple is rumored to launch its first foldable iPhone next year, as part of the iPhone 18 series. Rumors also say that Apple will tweak its release schedule next year, with the standard iPhone 18 model launching only in spring 2027. Apple will supposedly reserve the September 2026 event for the premium iPhone 18 models, including the Air, Pro, Pro Max, and the Fold.

But one of the first iPhone 18 rumors to surface during the iPhone 17 online launch period focuses on a design change for the next iPhone generation. According to Chinese leaker Instant Digital, the iPhone 18 models will feature smaller Dynamic Island cutouts at the top of the screen than their predecessors. However, Apple won't place the selfie camera or the Face ID components under the display next year.

The iPhone 17 launch event confirmed many of the rumors we saw previously However, the Dynamic Island design was one notable exception. Several reports said Apple would shrink the camera cutout this year on the iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max models. Now that the iPhone 17 Pro models are official, we know Apple has not reduced the Dynamic Island's size.

Leaker Instant Digital now offers a similar rumor for the iPhone 18 series. The rumor makes sense given what Apple has done in previous years. Before introducing the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models, Apple had reduced the size of the notch (on the iPhone 13 series) that debuted with the iPhone X.

Apple is rumored to launch an all-screen iPhone 20 model with curved visual effects like the Apple Watch in 2027 to celebrate the iPhone's 20th anniversary. The iPhone 20's display should not feature a cutout. Shrinking the Dynamic Island might be the next step before Apple can place cameras under the iPhone's display.

Amazing that we called all iPhone 17s going LTPO with 120Hz nearly 2.5 years ago. Too bad the under panel Face ID roadmap got delayed.... pic.twitter.com/XCg9baZmpp

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) September 9, 2025

Interestingly, well-known analyst Ross Young shared the update on X after Apple unveiled the iPhone 17 series, noting one of his 2023 predictions for the 2025 iPhone series was accurate. All iPhone 17 models now feature LTPO OLED panels, which support 120Hz (ProMotion) refresh rate. That 2023 prediction also said that the iPhone 17 Pro models would feature under-panel Face ID and a hole-punch display. The roadmap was delayed, Young said in his tweet last week. That roadmap also claimed that Apple could release iPhone Pro models with an all-screen design, with all camera and Face ID components placed under the screen.