iPhone 17 Pro Max Again Rumored to Feature Smaller Dynamic Island Due to Face ID Change

[MacRumors]

The high-end iPhone 17 Pro Max launching next year will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, according to technology analyst Jeff Pu, who has a fairly good track record with Apple rumors. This reiterates information that he first shared in May.

In a research note with investment bank Haitong International earlier this month, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a "metalens" for Face ID that results in a "much narrowed" Dynamic Island on the device. He does not expect this change to apply to the smaller iPhone 17 Pro, or any other iPhone 17 models.

While a traditional iPhone camera has curved lenses that redirect light towards the image sensor, a metalens is a thin and flat lens with microscopic patterns etched onto it that can focus light more precisely. In his research note this month, Pu did not provide any specific details about how Apple plans to use a metalens for the Face ID system, nor did he explain how the change would result in a narrower Dynamic Island.

Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, and it is also available on all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series next September, and more details about this metalens may surface over the coming months.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro Max Again Rumored to Feature Smaller Dynamic Island Due to Face ID Change

 

[Belisama]

Brace for the Amazing Dynamic Island Mini Pro.

 

[RedTheReader]

Now if only they could release one with the Apple Watch Ultra’s design language that’s consequently tough enough to use without a case. 😔

Or launch a foldable if a slab of that caliber’s not something they’d want to do, since we all know slab phone innovation’s dead. 😉

 

[winxmac]

2007 - iPhone 2G, iPhoneOS
2017 - iPhone X, iOS 11, A11 Bionic
2027 - iPhone 19, iOS 21, A21

 

[krull1015]

Apple Innovation 😁

 

[barkomatic]

I guess Apple has to justify the higher price of the Ultra over the Pro models but I think they'll need to do better than a slightly smaller screen cutout and a thinner form factor. It's very early though.

 

[grantishere]

So would about the rumor last week where the 17 won’t have the Dynamic Island blocking the screen?

 

[relmz]

iPhone 17 Ultra?

• Smaller Dynamic Island
• Upgraded cooling system with vapor chamber technology and graphite sheets
• 12 GB of RAM

All of this is rumored to be exclusive to the Pro Max and not the Pro. I think there's never been so much differentiation between the two Pro models.

 

[MedRed]

I'm ready for Apple to get back to innovating instead of being just another tech company. I hope the slower than expected iPhone 16 sales are a wakeup call.

 

[Kylo83]

After all these years it’s time to get rid of everything and have just a screen, they should by now be able to put camera underneath. One thing I dislike with apple are the notches and cut outs. Inovative, don’t just make it smaller for another few years

 

[jz0309]

Sounds like the iPhone 19ProMax will be a great update from my 13PM

 

[EugW]

I wonder how much narrower. It's pretty damn wide on my wife's iPhone 14 Pro Max. I'll be upgrading from my 12 Pro Max with notch to next year's 17 Pro Max with Dynamic Island.

Is the size of the Dynamic Island the same on the 14, 15, and 16 series?

 

[j26]

It has puzzled me for a while why Apple doesn't use an under display lens for face id. The selfie cam could then be a pinhole, like most phones rather than a long dark sausage (maybe someone could creat an app to turn the dynamic island into a sausage dog)

 

[Cheruman]

The Dynamic Islet

 

[CyberGene]

I bet 18 Pro Max Ultra will have an even smaller island yet bigger than 19 Ultimate which will then get bettered by 20 Excellent, and trough an iterative shrinking of the island they will get smaller and smaller within the next 20-30 generations. There are some vague rumors about the island becoming so small as to be really small after 100 generations but the sources differ in the exact size prediction.

 

[orbital~debris]

I wonder if the change to this 'metalens', as described, will result in a less prominent/less noticeable lens inside the TrueDepth array? The implementation of the Dynamic Island itself is already very good at hiding the lens inside, but at certain angles you can see the curvature of the lens.

 

[Unity451]

Going... going... gone!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-17-pro-rumors-12gb-ram-narrower-dynamic-island-for-pro-max.2425558/post-33110677

 

[Newgoblin49]

Apple announcements starts Monday! Macrumours where’s your post ?

 

[DunedinD]

After all these years it’s time to get rid of everything and have just a screen, they should by now be able to put camera underneath. One thing I dislike with apple are the notches and cut outs. Inovative, don’t just make it smaller for another few years

I’ve only just got a phone with a Dynamic Island and find it a very useful, smart way to deal with the camera cutout. Genuinely helpful to have a shortcut to music, voice call, or some sort of tracker up there.

 

[bradman83]

It has puzzled me for a while why Apple doesn't use an under display lens for face id. The selfie cam could then be a pinhole, like most phones rather than a long dark sausage (maybe someone could creat an app to turn the dynamic island into a sausage dog)

I wonder if the change to this 'metalens', as described, will result in a less prominent/less noticeable lens inside the TrueDepth array? The implementation of the Dynamic Island itself is already very good at hiding the lens inside, but at certain angles you can see the curvature of the lens.

In addition to a camera lens Face ID uses an infrared dot projector to create an invisible 3D map of your face that the camera picks up. Currently this is done using a prism, which takes up a fair amount of space and is a big reason why Face ID can't come to the MacBook line (the prism assembly more than twice as thick as a MBA/MBP's lid). The article describes a metalens as a flat lens with microscopic etching to direct light to a target, it could likely do the opposite and direct light out from a target, meaning it could be intended for the dot projector. That would eliminate the need for the prism assembly, save on space and allow the dynamic island to be shrunk, and possibly even open the door to Face ID on a MacBook depending on how thick the final assembly is.

 

[Hobbes42]

The high-end iPhone 17 Pro Max launching next year will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, according to technology analyst Jeff Pu, who has a fairly good track record with Apple rumors. This reiterates information that he first shared in May.

In a research note with investment bank Haitong International earlier this month, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a "metalens" for Face ID that results in a "much narrowed" Dynamic Island on the device. He does not expect this change to apply to the smaller iPhone 17 Pro, or any other iPhone 17 models.

While a traditional iPhone camera has curved lenses that redirect light towards the image sensor, a metalens is a thin and flat lens with microscopic patterns etched onto it that can focus light more precisely. In his research note this month, Pu did not provide any specific details about how Apple plans to use a metalens for the Face ID system, nor did he explain how the change would result in a narrower Dynamic Island.

Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, and it is also available on all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series next September, and more details about this metalens may surface over the coming months.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro Max Again Rumored to Feature Smaller Dynamic Island Due to Face ID Change

I listen to audio a lot on my phone. The Dynamic Island allows me to see when audio is playing, and control it while still seeing the rest of what I’m doing.

Also live sports scores are cool, as are things like uber tracking.

I’m a fan of the utility of the Dynamic Island. I really like knowing when something is playing on my iPhone, and Dynamic Island shows me that. I don’t get the hate for it… I think it’s a clever evolution of the notch, and is way more functional. Wouldn’t want to go back to a phone without it 🤷‍♂️

 

[Hobbes42]

I’ve only just got a phone with a Dynamic Island and find it a very useful, smart way to deal with the camera cutout. Genuinely helpful to have a shortcut to music, voice call, or some sort of tracker up there.

I agree. I actually find it a big quality of life improvement. I don’t get the hate, I think it’s one of the best new iPhone features in years.

 

[Tevosn]

Bro just get rid of that darn thing already lol! It’s better with a smaller pill I suppose, but the notch seems less invasive still imo. Full screen iPhone 2025 yes please!

 

[airwalk331]

Hot take- the dynamic island blows.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

Still can't believe how people just ate the marketing bullkrap of the dynamic island with the 14 pro. It wasn't and never was a feature. Nothing of how Apple uses it where they blend in the pixelless area in those notification bubbles is awesome. All it is is they put more black space around it, that's it. But the amount of people who just went nuts about how awesome it was still shocks me to this day.

The only thing I like about it on my 15 Pro is that it looks more modern, that's it.

I wonder how they're going to market it getting smaller.
"Now more of the black space in notification bubbles are pixels"?