Apple has redesigned the hardware underpinning the Dynamic Island on the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models, shrinking the pill-shaped cutout with a more compact front-facing camera and sensor system, if a last-minute rumor is anything to go by.
The leak comes from a previously unknown source who claims to work for a company that makes iPhone screen protectors. According to their information, the width of the Dynamic Island has shrunk to approximately 1.5cm, down from 2cm on the iPhone 16.
Given the source's lack of track record, we are taking this rumor with a large chunk of salt. Having said that, we wanted to cover it because there have been persistent – albeit conflicting – rumors that Apple planned to reduce the size of the Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 17 lineup.
Early on in the year, analyst Jeff Pu suggested the iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature a smaller Dynamic Island than the iPhone 17 Pro and previous models. Another leaker agreed, claiming Apple would adopt a "metalens" for Face ID that integrates the transmitter and receiver components, reducing the size and thickness of structural elements and resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island on the device.
Yet another source claimed the smaller Dynamic cutout would be applied across the entire iPhone 17 lineup. Later reports, however, indicated that this change might not arrive until the iPhone 18 Pro.
On the software side, one leaker claimed that iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, but they did not share any specific details about the changes that are allegedly planned.
There's still an outside a chance that the Dynamic Island will change in some way on iPhone 17 models. If so, it would be the first time since the feature was introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022. We'll know either way next week. Apple's "Awe dropping" event takes place on Tuesday, September 9.
