iPhone 17 Pro Has Smaller Dynamic Island, Claims Last-Minute Rumor

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.

dynamic island
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.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...

Top Rated Comments

wood1208 Avatar
13 weeks ago
Smaller, thinner Island ? Nice. But, I like to see someday under screen, invisible, or no Island at all.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Devyn89 Avatar
13 weeks ago

But it's a feature, right? Why would they make such a useful feature smaller? How will we see it? Are they going to remove this feature altogether at some point?

I can't wait for the defenders when next years novel folding iPhone uses TouchID because they couldn't scale down FaceID over 10 years from X to Fold (but hey, we got bespoke emojis out of it, woo hoo).
They'll be compelled to give a BS reason why FaceID is suddenly inferior so they went back to TouchID on the Fold. They'll cut expensive FaceID components from all future phones then claim the Dynamic Island is underutilized by developers and phase it out. People will still buy iPhones as perceived "status symbols" despite billions sold and their shareholders will sing their praises. That won't last forever, though.
Are you ok? People are allowed to change their opinion about things. In my opinion Dynamic Island was always a stop gap feature until technology allowed it go under display - much like the home button was until the iPhone went (almost) full screen. They made a feature out of a hardware limitation as companies have for years.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BelgianChoklit Avatar
13 weeks ago
would be nice for it to become thinner too.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
13 weeks ago
Not gonna happen all the main leakers would have said this
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cigz Avatar
13 weeks ago
wait.. that "new" microphone indicator that used to be inside the Dynamic Island and now it's outside of it makes sense.
If the Dynamic Island is smaller, it could mean there's probably no pixels inside of it?

The new indicator design:


and the old one:


Maybe they made that change to have it ready for smaller Dynamic Island on the new iPhone 17 Pro and to get people used to it.

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
13 weeks ago
Even the iPhone isn't immune to shrinkflation! ;)

/See also the iPhone Air where you get less phone.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)