iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island: 35% smaller cutout leak (and what's not changing)

Apple has not confirmed the iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island design. Apple has confirmed only the keynote — Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific ("Surprise and Shine"). The Dynamic Island changes below are based on supply-chain leaks, CAD renders, and analyst reporting — credible but not Apple-confirmed.

The dominant reporting (Ice Universe, Digital Trends, MacRumors CAD roundup, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman) says the iPhone 18 Pro will get a Dynamic Island approximately 35% smaller in width than the iPhone 17 Pro. A separate set of CAD renders from @earlyappleleaks points to a smaller reduction of around 25%. The reduction is achieved by moving the Face ID flood illuminator under the display, not by adding a true under-display camera. The full seamless all-screen design is reportedly deferred to the 2027 iPhone (20th-anniversary edition).

What does the iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island leak show?

The August 2026 leak cluster (Ice Universe, Digital Trends, MacRumors CAD roundup, ShrimpApplePro prototype) consistently reports:

• A pill-shaped Dynamic Island roughly 35% narrower than the iPhone 17 Pro, dropping from approximately 20.76 mm wide to approximately 13.49 mm wide.
• The Face ID flood illuminator has moved beneath the display, eliminating the need for a separate cutout at the top of the screen.
• The infrared camera and dot projector remain visible in a smaller pill-shaped cutout together with the front camera.
• The front-facing camera stays centered within the reduced Dynamic Island.
• The Dynamic Island functionality is unchanged — Live Activities, alerts, animations, and the expanded view behavior all work as before.
• All four iPhone 18 models get the smaller Dynamic Island — not just Pro — per Ice Universe supply-chain reporting.

This is the second iteration of the Dynamic Island since its introduction on the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022. The first was a static pill shape; the second (iPhone 18 generation) shrinks the pill without changing its behavior.

How much smaller is the iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island?

Two measurements are circulating:

Source	Width	Reduction vs iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro (current)	~20.76 mm	—
Ice Universe (Weibo, July 2026)	~13.49 mm	~35%
@earlyappleleaks CAD renders	~14.98 mm	~28%

The 35% figure is the more widely cited and is based on supply-chain panel measurements. The 28% figure is from CAD renders and reflects the external dimensions of the cutout, which include some bezel margin that the supply-chain panel measurements exclude. Both figures point to the same physical design — Apple is shrinking the cutout substantially, just not to a single punch-hole.

A 35% width reduction is visually noticeable without being dramatic. The Dynamic Island still occupies a meaningful strip at the top of the display; it just no longer extends as far toward the edges.

Is the iPhone 18 Pro getting a punch-hole camera?

No. Despite some earlier reporting that iPhone 18 Pro would switch to a punch-hole design (one small circular cutout for the camera only, with everything else under the display), the dominant August 2026 reporting cluster contradicts that. Apple is shrinking the pill-shaped Dynamic Island rather than replacing it with a punch-hole.

Reasons Apple is keeping the pill:

1. Live Activities need display real estate. The Dynamic Island is not just a cutout — it is a functional UI region where Live Activities, timers, call status, and contextual animations render. A single punch-hole gives Apple less control over the animation behavior.
2. Hardware continuity. Keeping the cutout shape lets Apple reuse the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and microphone placement from the iPhone 14 Pro through iPhone 17 Pro. Switching to a punch-hole would force a full sensor-stack redesign.
3. Software continuity. The Dynamic Island has been a defining iPhone Pro feature since 2022. Keeping the shape preserves the iconic look that buyers recognize.

The punch-hole design is reportedly being reserved for the 2027 iPhone generation (which would coincide with the 20th-anniversary iPhone).

Will the iPhone 18 Pro have under-display Face ID?

Partially. The iPhone 18 Pro moves the Face ID flood illuminator beneath the display — that component is no longer visible in the cutout. The infrared camera and dot projector remain visible because they need a clear line of sight to the user's face to map it in 3D.

This is a meaningful step toward full under-display Face ID, but it is not the finish line. Full under-display Face ID (where all Face ID components are beneath the display, no visible cutout) is reportedly planned for the 2027 iPhone generation.

For users, the partial under-display Face ID has two practical effects:

1. Face ID unlock behavior is unchanged. You still lift the phone, look at it, and it unlocks. The infrared camera and dot projector are still tracking your face the same way.
2. The cutout is smaller but not invisible. You will still see a pill shape at the top of the display, just narrower than before.

Does the iPhone 18 (non-Pro) also get the smaller Dynamic Island?

Yes. Per Ice Universe supply-chain reporting, the smaller Dynamic Island is expected across all four iPhone 18 models: iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Air 2. The iPhone 18e (spring 2027 launch) and iPhone Fold are not covered by the same reporting — the 18e is expected to keep the notch (see our iPhone 18e Dynamic Island FAQ) and the Fold has a different display topology (cover display + inner foldable).

The non-Pro iPhone 18 is widely expected to launch in spring 2027, not September 2026. The smaller Dynamic Island applies to the September 2026 lineup: Pro, Pro Max, and Air 2.

What changes about Face ID on iPhone 18 Pro?

Three changes, all under-the-hood:

1. Flood illuminator moves under the display. The flood illuminator is the component that bathes your face in infrared light so the dot projector can map it. It no longer needs a visible cutout.
2. Infrared camera stays visible. The infrared camera captures the reflected dot pattern. It still needs a clear line of sight to your face.
3. Dot projector stays visible. The dot projector projects the structured infrared pattern. It also still needs a clear line of sight.

The combined effect is that the visible cutout only needs to host the front camera, infrared camera, and dot projector — the flood illuminator is out of the cutout entirely. This is what enables the 35% width reduction.

Face ID behavior is otherwise identical: lift-to-wake, glance-to-unlock, attention-aware features, and Face ID for Apple Pay / App Store / password autofill all work the same way.

Is the iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island confirmed by Apple?

No. Apple has not announced any iPhone 18 Pro design details. The Dynamic Island shrink is based on:

• Ice Universe supply-chain panel measurements (July 2026, via MacRumors roundup)
• Digital Trends reporting citing multiple sources (August 2026)
• MacRumors CAD renders from @earlyappleleaks (August 2026)
• ShrimpApplePro prototype leak with hardware measurements (July 2026)
• The Information (Wayne Ma) reporting on under-display Face ID development timeline
• Bloomberg (Mark Gurman) reporting on the iPhone 18 Pro display changes

Apple will confirm the design at the September 9, 2026 keynote at 10:00 AM Pacific. The keynote will show the Dynamic Island in the official renders and confirm the exact dimensions. Until then, treat the 35% figure as the most likely number but not as confirmed.

When will Apple eliminate the Dynamic Island completely?

Apple's display roadmap points to the 2027 iPhone generation (the 20th-anniversary iPhone) as the likely first iPhone with a fully seamless, no-cutout display. At that point:

• All Face ID components are under the display (flood illuminator, infrared camera, dot projector)
• The front camera is also under the display using true under-display camera technology (which Apple has been developing with Samsung Display and LG Display since 2023)
• The Dynamic Island is removed entirely — the display is edge-to-edge with no cutout

The 2027 iPhone is also rumored to bring other 20th-anniversary design changes (curved or waterfall edges, under-display Touch ID as a backup to Face ID, and titanium frame refinements). None of these are confirmed.

For the iPhone 18 Pro in 2026, the Dynamic Island is shrinking — but it is not going away.

Will the iPhone 18 Pro display bezel change?

No meaningful bezel change is expected. The supply-chain reporting and CAD renders consistently show bezels at roughly the same width as the iPhone 17 Pro. The Dynamic Island shrinks; the bezels stay.

This is consistent with Apple's display philosophy: Apple reduces internal cutouts (notches → Dynamic Island → smaller Dynamic Island → under-display) but keeps bezels consistent from generation to generation so case manufacturers and screen-protector makers have stable reference dimensions.

If you are buying a case or screen protector for iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro cases will not fit perfectly (the smaller Dynamic Island shifts some internal sensor placement), but the bezel and overall dimensions are close enough that many iPhone 17 Pro cases will work on iPhone 18 Pro with minor fit adjustments.

iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island: what's actually changing vs iPhone 17 Pro?

	iPhone 17 Pro	iPhone 18 Pro (rumored)	Change
Dynamic Island width	~20.76 mm	~13.49 mm	-35%
Face ID flood illuminator	Visible in cutout	Under display	Hidden
Infrared camera	Visible in cutout	Visible in cutout	Unchanged
Dot projector	Visible in cutout	Visible in cutout	Unchanged
Front camera	Visible in cutout	Visible in cutout	Unchanged
Dynamic Island behavior	Live Activities, alerts, animations	Same	Unchanged
Bezels	Standard	Standard	Unchanged
Apple-confirmed?	Yes (Sept 2025)	No	—

Apple will reveal the official Dynamic Island dimensions, renders, and any under-the-hood Face ID changes at the September 9, 2026 keynote at 10:00 AM Pacific. We will update this page within an hour of the announcement with the confirmed design, official marketing imagery, and any under-display Face ID details Apple shares.