Do you like the two-tone aluminum and glass design of the iPhone 17 Pro? Don’t get too used to it.
GF Securities tech analyst Jeff Pu, who has a reliable track record of sifting through the supply chain to predict what Apple is working on, says next year’s “iPhone 18 Pro” series will have two defining features that differentiate it from the iPhone 17 Pro/17 Pro Max that launched in September.
According to a report seen by 9to5Mac, Apple may eventually shrink the Dynamic Island, the pill-shaped cutout that houses the front-facing camera and TrueDepth sensor for Face ID. Dynamic Island was introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022. Unlike the typical hole-punch selfie cameras on Android phones, Apple surprised everyone with its ability to show music controls, timers, and notifications and live activities like rideshare arrivals and food delivery times.
According to Pu, the dynamic island is not going away, it is just getting smaller. And thank god, because it’s much more intrusive than the notch on older iPhones. Don’t believe me? Just watch the video at full screen in a bunch of apps and see how they all optimize for Dynamic Island in different ways. Some people depict the cutout as a black pill; Others make the video shorter to avoid this or partially fit around it. Unfortunately, Pu didn’t say how small the dynamic island will be on the iPhone 18 Pro series, so we’ll have to wait until next fall.
The other widely anticipated change for the iPhone 18 Pro is the shift to a two-tone design. Apple is reportedly planning to change the glass cutout so that it blends more with the aluminum frame, to better match the anodized metal. While it won’t matter at all to those who use a case, the cutout – which is most visible on the silver iPhone 17 Pro – felt a little out of place. The glass panel is necessary for wireless charging, but it doesn’t make for a seamless design.
Pu also expects Apple to release the iPhone 17e, a refreshed version of the iPhone 16e, in “mid-Q126”, which will likely launch in the spring. The more affordable iPhone 17 may feature an A19 chip and an 18-megapixel center stage camera, two features the iPhone 17 is expected to feature. The “SE” and “E” iPhones will both be notable considering iPhones are typically devices with parts several generations old in order to keep the price down.
With Tim Cook potentially set to vacate the CEO position, Apple’s future has never been more unpredictable. Maybe now is the time to really change things.