Apple iPhone 18 Pro Series Could Bring Bigger Displays and Smaller Dynamic Island
- Utshab Biswas
- 3 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Leaked screen protectors hint at taller displays, a shrunken camera cutout, and the most notable front-design refresh Apple has made in years.
Finally, Apple might be preparing something significant for its next-gen Pro iPhone lineup front design-wise. Freshly leaked screen protectors that will fit the coming Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max models suggest that there would be taller screens, thinner frames, and a smaller Dynamic Island cutout. If the leaks prove true, this might be one of the most impressive front design upgrades ever seen from Apple's side in recent years.
The leaked screen protectors emerged just days before the official presentation of Apple's new smartphone models set to take place in September. The photos demonstrate a new front design that features a smaller camera hole placed slightly askew. This follows previous information pointing towards the fact that Apple is working on decreasing the size of Dynamic Island almost by 25 to 35 percent.
What is changing on the iPhone 18 Pro?
The iPhone 18 Pro may come equipped with a taller screen size of about 6.4 inches compared to the previous 6.3 inches, a more narrow device, and a Dynamic Island that is about 25% to 35% smaller in size than the current one. The screen size for the iPhone 18 Pro Max may extend up to 7 inches.
What the Leaked Screen Protectors Actually Show
As for the leaked accessory films, the sources came from the tipster MajinBu and were reported by NotebookCheck. This is a kind of protective films designed before the official release that are often the basis for obtaining some information about form factors of future gadgets, although sometimes they may be inaccurate.
There are two noticeable features regarding these leaks: first, the whole protector is bigger compared to the film for current iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Second, the round camera cut-out is located somewhat shifted compared to the currently available iPhone's one.
All these features together give us quite a clear picture Apple wants to elongate the screen while also reducing the size of the Dynamic Island.
How Much Bigger Could the Displays Get?
According to the available dimensions of the leaking screen protectors, there is speculation that the display size of the iPhone 18 Pro will be expanded up to 6.4 inches. At the same time, the size of the iPhone 18 Pro Max might reach up to 7 inches.
Model | Expected Display Size | Current Model Size |
iPhone 18 Pro | 6.4-inch | 6.3-inch |
iPhone 18 Pro Max | Nearly 7-inch | 6.9-inch |
They are not huge leaps in terms of numbers, but there is more to take into account here. For starters, Apple has maintained very consistent dimensions of its Pro displays for many iterations now. The jump to 7 inches, in particular, will be a significant psychological shift since it will mean venturing firmly into the realm of tablets.
What really needs to be taken into consideration in this case is the fact that the company appears to be doing so in an ingenious manner. Instead of making the device much wider and thereby making it awkward for one-handed usage, the company is focusing on increasing the vertical size of the display.
The Dynamic Island Is Getting Smaller
The second change in the leaks follows the same path as previous rumors. Several sources have reported that Apple intends to reduce the size of the Dynamic Island by about 25 to 35% of its existing dimensions.
The Dynamic Island made its first appearance on the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022. It is an ingenious design element, as the pill-shaped cutout containing the front-facing camera and Face ID sensors required some creative solutions from the software perspective. The idea was to animate the cutout and use it as part of notifications and Live Activities.
However, the Dynamic Island does occupy space on the display and becomes especially noticeable when playing videos or games in fullscreen mode. Thus, reducing the size of the cutout can provide extra valuable space at the very top of the phone screen.
It should be noted that Apple will not use any kind of under-display camera, since there are still significant issues with the image quality and fingerprint security. Reducing the size of the cutout seems to be the logical way forward for Apple.
A Gradual Push Toward Cleaner Design
It may make sense to zoom out a bit and take stock of the progression here. For years now, Apple has been steadily shrinking the size of its front-facing components. There was less and less notch. Then there was the Dynamic Island. Now the Dynamic Island is itself going through some slimming down.
These changes have all happened very gradually, which is something that Apple is known for. But taken together over a period of perhaps five or six years, they add up. An iPhone today will look much more sleek than an iPhone from 2017 on the front end.
The design changes for the iPhone 18 Pro, if true, fit into this progression without necessitating any revolutionary approach to production.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
Leaked screen protectors suggest taller, slightly narrower displays for both iPhone 18 Pro models.
iPhone 18 Pro could grow from 6.3 to ~6.4 inches; Pro Max from 6.9 to ~7.0 inches.
Dynamic Island cutout expected to shrink by 25–35%, freeing up more screen space.
Taller aspect ratio means more screen without making the phone harder to hold.
Apple is not moving to under-display cameras yet this is an iterative improvement.
Apple's September event will confirm or contradict these leaks.
Who Benefits Most From These Changes?
Not every buyer of iPhones will be paying attention to whether the size of the display increased by 0.1 inches, nor if the camera cutout is now slightly smaller. However, there will be one group of buyers who will benefit from these changes.
For a person who watches many videos on their phone, an extra 0.1 inch of screen plus a less obtrusive camera at the top means fewer distractions while watching videos on the bigger display. Watching streaming services on a 7-inch Pro Max might begin to compete with tablets in terms of viewing quality.
People who do a lot of multi-tasking, including Live Activities and split-screen mode, will find an extra vertical inch helpful when doing several things simultaneously.
For those who prefer big displays but struggle with the wide screen, the taller phone is better because it solves the problem of holding the wide display comfortably.
Should You Trust These Leaks?
However, one would be advised to take the screen protector leaks lightly. It must be remembered that these are early leaks and thus unreliable at best, especially considering that third-party accessory manufacturers are often working with incomplete information.
There were prior reports based on analysis of the supply chain that indicated a reduction in the Dynamic Island size while the display size increase was anticipated. The leak concerning the films is thus consistent with the prior report. That said, however, consistency alone cannot confirm the authenticity of either piece of data since they could be working with the same faulty data from their respective suppliers.
Ultimately, it might just be safer for one to wait until September, when Apple releases the iPhone 18 series. This way, if the information leaked here is right, the new phone could prove interesting enough for the next generation of iPhones. On the other hand, if any of the information is wrong, the person would still know the exact figures to make the purchase.
Front panels from Apple do not get upgraded very frequently. And when they do, such upgrades stay relevant for many years. So, if the rumors turn out to be true, then a tall display with a smaller Dynamic Island would mark the biggest design upgrade for the front panel of the Pro iPhones after 2022.
More screen space. Less cutout space. A little bit better handle on the large phone. Not groundbreaking upgrades, but definitely useful ones. It is time for September.
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