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Apple Apparently Still Undecided on iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island

Apple is weighing two options for the iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island, and a final decision has yet to be made, according to the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

In a new post today, the leaker says that current supply chain feedback points to an A/B scenario: one option retains the existing screen mold from the iPhone 17 Pro, while the other introduces a significantly smaller "Mini ‌Dynamic Island‌" enabled by moving the Face ID receiver and transmitter components beneath the display.

Current feedback from the supply chain suggests an A/B testing scenario: one option retains the existing screen mold, while the other features a 'Mini Dynamic Island' with the Face ID receiver/transmitter (RX) components positioned beneath the display. If they opt for the latter, it feels like sales figures will once again be a non-issue.

The update is a slight shift from the leaker's previous position. Earlier this year, Digital Chat Station claimed Apple was leaning toward reusing last year's design, which would have left the ‌Dynamic Island‌ largely unchanged.

The report was a dissenting voice against a body of reporting, including from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, DSCC's Ross Young, and multiple other Weibo leakers, suggesting the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ would feature a ‌Dynamic Island‌ roughly 35% smaller than on the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro.

In a follow-up post, the leaker also addressed the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s rear design. He said that the rectangular plateau design introduced with the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro will carry over unchanged, but the back will see "minor adjustments to the body materials and design details.” This is likely a reference to previously rumored changes aimed at achieving a more uniform look between the aluminum unibody frame and glass cutout for wireless charging.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be announced this fall alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone.

Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

8 months ago
Yeah, this article is BS. There’s no way they don’t have it figured out yet. That’s not how it works.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacUserFella Avatar
8 months ago
Doesn’t Apple plan iPhones years in advance? Surely it doesn’t take THAT long to decide on something so simple
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I/0 Avatar
8 months ago
Be serious guys, you know there’s no way Apple is “undecided” on the design of their flagship less than 6 months from now, so why posting this BS rumor?

Lately there’s no criteria for posting these so-called rumors, anyone could speculate their wildest guess and you’d post it as a rumor.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8 months ago
Pre-production (basically finalized though) models are sent to the FCC 6 months in advance for testing. In addition, the design of the packaging that holds the chips would be heavily dependent on any physical component and would not be flexible. These would be finalized more or less for their first chips out of fab, probably a year ago. Also, packaging costs are extremely expensive right now and they aren’t going to going back and forth at this point. This article might make most sense for an iPhone 19, but not 18
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8 months ago
Yeah. That’s bs. They’ve decided. They have to be too close to make an alteration. These phones are designed year(s) in advance. All the manufacturing/tooling/sourcing has to be done at this point for the displays. The launch is later this year. Whatever decision they’ve made most likely is set in stone for displays and components. They’re fine-tuning color and ironing out production kinks, etc.

These rumors where they’re thinking making substantial changes late, I think can be thrown out.

And yes, I think the smaller DI is coming.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
8 months ago

Yeah, this article is BS. There’s no way they don’t have it figured out yet. That’s not how it works.
Yeah they need to have a few million phones ready in 5 months. I doubt they’re still scratching their heads over design choices.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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