One of the most exciting iPhone 18 Pro rumours has just been significantly scaled back. Early in 2026, multiple reports claimed the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max would be the first iPhones to move all Face ID components completely under the display, leaving only a front-facing camera visible. The Dynamic Island as we know it would effectively disappear.
That is no longer the expected outcome. The latest information from MacRumors, corroborated by multiple Weibo leakers and Bloomberg’s supply chain sources, now indicates that only one Face ID component will be moved under the screen on the iPhone 18 Pro models. The result will not be the elimination of the Dynamic Island. It will be a smaller Dynamic Island.
What Is Actually Changing
The Face ID system comprises several components: an infrared camera, a flood illuminator, and a dot projector. The current Dynamic Island houses all of them, along with the front-facing selfie camera, inside the pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display.
On the iPhone 18 Pro, the flood illuminator is the component being moved under the screen. The infrared camera and the dot projector will remain visible. The front camera is also expected to stay in place. Because fewer components need to fit inside the physical cutout, the Dynamic Island will become noticeably shorter, though it will remain pill-shaped and functionally the same as it is today.
Weibo leaker ShrimpApplePro, who has accurately predicted details about the iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Series 9, described the Dynamic Island as becoming “shorter” on the iPhone 18 Pro. Instant Digital, another reliable Weibo source, confirmed the under-display infrared sensor position but disputed claims of a punch-hole design, calling reports of a left-aligned front camera “a complete fabrication.”
Why Full Under-Display Face ID Was Pushed Back
Apple wants to maintain the accuracy and security that Face ID has delivered since 2017. Moving components under the display introduces signal degradation that affects the precision of the depth map Face ID creates. Apple’s engineering teams have reportedly been testing under-display prototypes for years and have consistently found that the quality does not yet meet their standards for a mainstream product.
The two-step approach Apple appears to be taking is methodical: move one component under the display in 2026, learn from it, and complete the transition in a future generation once the technology is proven at scale.
Full under-display Face ID with no visible Dynamic Island at all is now expected to debut with a future anniversary model. Apple has reportedly been planning a major design milestone for an iPhone around 2027 to 2028, targeting an all-glass slab with no visible cutouts of any kind. That product, rather than the iPhone 18 Pro, is the most likely destination for fully invisible Face ID.
See Also: iOS 26.5 Beta 1 Could Drop on March 30 And It May Finally Include the New Siri
Everything Else Expected on iPhone 18 Pro
While the Dynamic Island story has been scaled back, the iPhone 18 Pro still has an impressive rumoured feature list.
The A20 Pro chip, built on TSMC’s 2nm process, is expected to deliver a 10 to 15 percent performance improvement over the A19 Pro in iPhone 17 Pro and a 30 percent improvement in power efficiency. That combination extends battery life meaningfully alongside a battery capacity upgrade that could push the iPhone 18 Pro Max close to 5,000 mAh.
The main camera system is also getting a significant upgrade: a variable aperture mechanism on the primary 48MP Fusion camera, allowing users to physically control how much light enters the sensor for the first time on any iPhone. This was a feature previously available only on Samsung Galaxy S Ultra cameras.
Display sizes remain 6.3 inches for the Pro and 6.9 inches for the Pro Max, matching the iPhone 17 Pro. The camera bump retains its triangular plateau housing three rear lenses. New colour options are rumoured to include Burgundy Deep Red, Coffee Brown, and Deep Purple, with no black option in the Pro lineup for the first time.
Pricing is expected to hold flat: $999 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
iPhone 18 Pro is expected to be announced at Apple’s September 2026 event alongside the foldable iPhone, with both shipping shortly after.
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