iPhone 18 Pro With Under-Screen Face ID Now Rumored to Feature Smaller Dynamic Island

Counterpoint Research VP Ross Young today cast doubt on the 20th-anniversary iPhone featuring a truly all-screen design, but he still expects Apple to make some progress towards that ambitious goal over the next few iPhone generations.

iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island
In a post on X today, Young reiterated that at least some new iPhones launching in 2026 will be equipped with under-screen Face ID. While he did not mention any specific models, he is very likely referring to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Despite the move to under-screen Face ID, Young said that the 2026 iPhone models will still have some visible Face ID elements, and for this reason he believes that the devices will still have a "notch" (aka the Dynamic Island), but he said that it will be "smaller" compared to the one on the iPhone 14 Pro through iPhone 16 models.

Young's information seems to conflict with a report last month from The Information's Wayne Ma that said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max would have "only a small hole cutout in the top-left corner to accommodate the front-facing camera." This wording suggested that the devices might not have a Dynamic Island at all, but Young has implied that there will still be a smaller Dynamic Island, which would still be an improvement.

In his Power On newsletter over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said that Apple would shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on at least some iPhone models launching next year, so there are now multiple sources who believe that iPhone 18 models will still have a smaller Dynamic Island rather than only a front camera hole.

Young said he is unsure if the front camera hole will nonetheless be moved to the top-left corner of the iPhone 18 screen, or if it will remain more centered.

Young does expect all Face ID elements to eventually be moved under the screen, but he now believes that change will not happen until 2028.

Related Roundup: iPhone 18
Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

joshwithachance Avatar
2 weeks ago
A smaller Dynamic Island will make absolutely ZERO difference in the end user experience.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Mac Daz Avatar
2 weeks ago
Didn’t they say the 17 Pro’s were originally getting a smaller Dynamic Island
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
2 weeks ago
Don’t shrink the island, pack it with more features than ever before seen in a Dynamic Island.

I’m waiting on the best Dynamic Island we’ve ever created: dynamic Pangaea ultima



Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thiscatisfat Avatar
2 weeks ago
Apple is so boring nowadays. Had Apple kept it's momentum they gained in the first years of iPhone, some dynamic island or any visible sensors/cameras let alone some punch hole camera wouldn't even be on the table by now.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xgman Avatar
2 weeks ago
it's always the one after the next one somehow.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CharlesShaw Avatar
2 weeks ago
If my beloved 13 mini holds up long enough, I might be able to bypass Dynamic Island altogether.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)