While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still nearly a year away, a handful of new features and changes have already been rumored for the devices.
Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far.
Smaller Dynamic Island
The standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with a slightly smaller Dynamic Island, but the devices will not feature under-screen Face ID, according to the Weibo account Instant Digital.
There were conflicting rumors about whether the iPhone 17 Pro models would have a smaller Dynamic Island, but its size did not change. Now, the rumor is back on the table for the iPhone 18 series, and there is a decent chance it will be true this time around, as it would be a stepping stone towards the rumored 20th-anniversary all-glass iPhone.
Under-screen Face ID, however, is no longer expected until the iPhone 19 Pro models or later.
Instant Digital has around 1.5 million followers on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform. The account has accurately leaked information about future Apple products in the past, such as the iPhone 17 Pro models featuring a vapor chamber cooling system, the Yellow finish for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2's Titanium Milanese Loop. However, the account does not have a perfect track record, and some of the other iPhone 17 rumors it shared in recent months did not materialize.
'Translucent' MagSafe Area
Overall, the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a similar design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to Digital Chat Station, a previously-accurate leaker with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The leaker said the devices will have the same rear camera system design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a "plateau" housing three lenses in a triangular arrangement. They also expect the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes used since the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Notably, the leaker claimed that the Ceramic Shield area on the back of the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a "slightly transparent design," without elaborating.
Perhaps this just means the Ceramic Shield cutout on the back of the iPhone 18 Pro models will have a more frosted appearance than it does on the iPhone 17 Pro models, but we will have to wait for additional rumors to surface for clarification.
Variable Aperture
The main 48-megapixel Fusion camera on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
With variable aperture, users would be able to control the amount of light that passes through the camera's lens and reaches the sensor. The main cameras on all of the iPhone 14 Pro through iPhone 17 Pro models have a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, and the lens is always fully open and shooting with this widest aperture. With the iPhone 18 Pro models, users would be able to manually change the aperture, according to this rumor.
A variable aperture on iPhone 18 Pro models should provide users with greater control over depth of field, which refers to how sharp a subject appears in the foreground compared to the background. However, given that iPhones have smaller image sensors due to size constraints, it is unclear exactly how meaningful this improvement would be.
None of the iPhone 17 Pro cameras offer variable aperture.
Other Rumors
- A20 Pro chip fabricated with TSMC's latest 2nm process, for more significant year-over-year performance improvements
- Apple's custom-designed C2 modem, with mmWave 5G support in the United States
- A redesigned Camera Control button, with a focus on pressure-sensitive controls, rather than swipe gestures
Read our iPhone 18 roundup for more information.
