A new report today from ETNews sheds light on a pair of new display features allegedly destined for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this year.
There’s also still a big unanswered design question about the iPhone 18 Pro: will it have a Dynamic Island?
One big iPhone 18 Pro question
According to today’s report, the iPhone 18 Pro is set to use new display technology from Samsung. This includes LTPO+, a new version of the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide coating Apple uses on iPhone displays today. LTPO+ is more efficient than the current version, which should lead to improved battery life.
The report also reiterates that Apple is set to use a new under-display IR technology that puts Face ID’s infrared sensors under the iPhone 18 Pro’s display. Several other sources have also reported this information.
One thing that remains unclear about the iPhone 18 Pro is what will happen to the Dynamic Island. Apple is reportedly moving the front-facing camera to the upper-left corner of the display.
If the front-facing camera is relocated and Face ID is moved under the display, how exactly Apple incorporates the Dynamic Island is unclear. A since-deleted rumor on social media this morning said the iPhone 18 Pro would still have a Dynamic Island, but that it would be “shorter” than the current design.
A new video from Jon Prosser today appeared to show a mockup of a smaller Dynamic Island in the upper-left corner, but it’s not clear whether that’s based on his sourcing or speculation.
9to5Mac’s Take
I’m a huge fan of the Dynamic Island, so I hope it’s not going away or getting significantly smaller useful this year. I find it incredibly useful to have little bits of information in the Dynamic Island, whether it’s “now playing” information from Apple Music or Live Activities from apps like Carrot Weather.
I think the most likely outcome here is that the Dynamic Island is, well, more dynamic this year. It will show up for things like Live Activities and now playing info, but will otherwise be hidden.
Do you use the Dynamic Island on a regular basis? Would you be bummed if it went away? Let us know down in the comments.
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