iPhone 18 Pro CAD Leak Reignites the Dynamic Island Debate

[MacRumors]

New alleged CAD renders of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro are doing the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the to-shrink-or-not-to-shrink Dynamic Island saga.

An X user called @earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro."

CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical schematics that phone manufacturers share with case makers and accessory companies months before a phone launches. Whether this particular one is kosher is unknown, since the leaker is relatively new to the scene and needs time to build a reputation.

The last notable image they shared was of an alleged iPhone 18 Pro prototype with a smaller Dynamic Island, and what appears to be a Face ID sensor visible under the display. Under-display Face ID components would allow for a slimmed down Dynamic Island.

Over the past year, there have been mixed rumors about whether the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will continue to feature a ‌Dynamic Island‌ or have a hole punch camera with under screen Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌, but the latest information suggests it's too early to say goodbye to the ‌Dynamic Island‌.

Along with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, several prominent leakers on Weibo and other social media sites have said Apple will make the iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island smaller, but won't eliminate it. We heard similar rumors about a smaller iPhone 17 Pro ‌Dynamic Island‌ last year, but it ended up being the same size.

Most of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ rumors about under-display Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌ circulated earlier in 2025, so Apple either considered the feature for the 18 Pro lineup and pushed it back, or those rumors were off-base. There also may have been confusion over what's moving under the display and what isn't.

More recently, Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claimed the iPhone 18 Pro won't have a smaller Dynamic Island at all, with the slimmed down Dynamic Island delayed until the iPhone 19.

We'll know for sure in a few months. Apple is expected to announce the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models alongside its first foldable iPhone this fall, with the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ arriving early next year as part of a new split-cycle launch strategy.

Article Link: iPhone 18 Pro CAD Leak Reignites the Dynamic Island Debate

 

[ps3zocker]

Does it only look like it or is the cutout now taller?

 

[Falco McGregor]

They’re not getting rid of the Dynamic Island. The “at-rest” footprint may be shrinking, but it’s still going to likely work the same way it does now. In fact, it’s probably coming to that OLED touch MacBook Pro/Studio/Ultra laptop later this year as it replaces the notch.

 

[applyr]

They’ll likely stick with this approach until the anniversary iPhone “Ultra” design gradually makes its way down to the Pro and standard models.

 

[mansplains]

They could extrude dynamic island and turn it into a static plateau, match the camera plateau!

 

[xmarcuswildx]

I really like the Dynamic Island I think it’s a cool ass feature. Something useful for once.

I hope it sticks around in some form. On software side once the hardware is gone from showing.

 

[msephton]

This isn't really the dynamic island though, is it?

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

Does it only look like it or is the cutout now taller?

Looks like yes

 

[User 6502]

I really like the Dynamic Island I think it’s a cool ass feature. Something useful for once.

I hope it sticks around in some form. On software side once the hardware is gone from showing.

Having a location for some sort of multitasking is definitely useful and will probably be retained in one way or another. A giant pill shape cutout doesn’t serve any purpose and it should reduced as much as possible as soon as technology allows it (one could argue it could already be largely eliminated as underscreen fingerprint sensors exist and work well).

 

[Marty80]

The Dynamic island is now, really a sight for sore eyes.

 

[neuropsychguy]

It's confusing to call the pill-shaped cutout the Dynamic Island. The Dynamic Island is the cutout + the software. Unless Apple is making the size of the on-screen UI part of the Dynamic Island smaller, Apple isn't making the "Dynamic Island" smaller, just the cutout portion of it. This might be somewhat pedantic, but precision is important when talking about phone features.

 

[Lukomaldini]

Is it just me or is the plateau taller? I think the size on the 17 pro is probably as big as it should be but to make it larger says to me just increase the whole phone thickness to make it flush…

 

[Samplasion]

It's confusing to call the pill-shaped cutout the Dynamic Island. The Dynamic Island is the cutout + the software. Unless Apple is making the size of the on-screen UI part of the Dynamic Island smaller, Apple isn't making the "Dynamic Island" smaller, just the cutout portion of it. This might be somewhat pedantic, but precision is important when talking about phone features.

I totally get what you're saying and I actually agree to some extent, but unless the software part is made larger to compensate, can't a point be made that the "Dynamic Island" itself is being shrunk?

 

[paulvee]

This is a good and useful forum for discussing such things, but to frame it as "The Dynamic Island Debate" might exaggerate its importance in the world. The overwhelming majority of iOS users don't even think about or notice the "dynamic island." They are just using their phones. That's true about most GUI issues. I think about design and interface a lot, but am agnostic when it comes to the dynamic island. The hills I choose to die on usually involve menu choices and other arcane things, such as WHY Apple cannot allow you to lock in a route on Maps so that pulling into a parking lot will automatically re-reoute you to the "fastest possible" route, rather than the one you chose for another reason. Anyway, to those who care about the "dynamic island," good luck and happy trails.

 

[McWetty]

Would be nice to reclaim some/all of that screen real estate, but I hope the software side of the Dynamic Island remains. I find it useful to see timers, music, and other bits of info when pertinent.

 

[bLackjackj]

Not to sure how this is news to anyone. Posted here a few years ago was the actual iPhone screen roadmap..and yes, it showed the smaller floating notch.