Apple may not be ready to give the iPhone a dramatic all-screen face just yet, but that does not mean the front is standing still. A new leak suggests the iPhone 18 family could end up looking familiar at a glance while still pushing Apple one step closer to the cleaner display design it has clearly been chasing for years.
Apple’s Next Front Design Change Could Be Smaller Than Expected But More Important Than It Looks
According to leaker Ice Universe, Apple plans to bring a smaller Dynamic Island to the entire iPhone 18 lineup, while keeping the bezels unchanged from the iPhone 17 series. The next upgrade is not shaping up to be a flashy bezel-thinning redesign, but rather a more controlled cleanup of the visible display hardware.
This is not the first time that we have heard details on a smaller Dynamic Island, as the iPhone 18 Pro models have also been reported to come with the same change. However, some rumors point to the opposite, claiming that the Dynamic Island would remain the same size due to unready under-display technology.
Bloomberg previously claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max would get a smaller Dynamic Island, and several leakers have echoed it in the same direction. Ice Universe has also claimed back in January that the Dynamic Island on the Pro models would be about 35 percent narrower, shrinking to roughly 13.5mm from around 20.7mm on the iPhone 17 Pro. While the notion still stands, it appears that the same tighter look may not stay exclusive to the Pro models.
The broader takeaway is that Apple may be choosing a staged transition instead of one big front-facing redesign. Reports now suggest only some Face ID hardware, especially the flood illuminator, could move under the display first, while the selfie camera, infrared camera, and dot projector remain housed in a smaller cutout. So yes, the Dynamic Island may shrink, but it is apparently not disappearing yet.
The 20th Anniversary iPhone Still Looks Like the Bigger Goal For Apple, Expected In 2027
We have recently covered that Apple is going all in on looks with the 20th anniversary iPhone. The company is testing more ambitious ideas for the future model, including a more uninterrupted display and under-display camera technology. If Apple holds on to its plans, the iPhone 18 may be the stepping stone that makes the front cleaner now while the bigger visual leap is saved for later.
So while the new rumor may sound modest on paper, it could still end up being more meaningful than it looks. If Apple really keeps the same bezels but shrinks the Dynamic Island across the lineup, the iPhone 18 may feel familiar at first glance while quietly pushing the design closer to the full-screen iPhone Apple seems to be building toward in stages.
We have to take note that only the iPhone 18 Pro models will be launched this year alongside the foldable iPhone, while the standard iPhone 18 lineup will launch in Spring 2028, as part of the company’s split launch strategy.
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