Apple will reportedly ship the iPhone 18 Pro with three design changes next month, including a Dynamic Island roughly 35% narrower than the current model.
Key Points:
- Apple is expected to drop the two-tone rear of the iPhone 17 Pro for a matched glass and aluminum finish.
- Leakers put the new Dynamic Island at about 13.5 millimeters wide, down from roughly 20.7 millimeters.
- Dark Cherry is tipped as the headline color, replacing Cosmic Orange.
Dynamic Island Shrinks By 35%
Leaks gathered ahead of Apple's September event point to a slimmer front cutout on both the iPhone 18 Pro and the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max. Leaker Ice Universe puts the new width near 13.5 millimeters, down from roughly 20.7 millimeters on the Pro handsets Apple sells today, a cut of roughly one third.
Some Face ID components move beneath the display, but not all of them. The pill shape survives, so Apple stops short of a hole-punch front. Not every tipster agrees, and Digital Chat Station has claimed that the narrower cutout slips to a later generation instead, leaving this year's models unchanged.
Supply chain accounts say fully hidden Face ID hardware is still not ready for production, which leaves the sensor array needing an opening in the display panel for now. Apple has confirmed none of the reports.
Also Read: iPhone 18 Pro Max May Get Variable Aperture The Smaller Pro Misses
Dark Cherry Leads Color Overhaul
The second change targets the two-tone rear that divided owners of the iPhone 17 Pro, where the glass panel sits a visible shade lighter than the anodized aluminum frame surrounding it. Weibo leaker Instant Digital first reported that Apple reworked the back glass to close that gap and deliver one continuous color across the body. The frame keeps its anodized finish despite a year of complaints about scratches.
Color is the third change, and Dark Cherry, a deep wine shade carrying a purple tint, is tipped to replace Cosmic Orange as the finish Apple pushes hardest in its marketing. Light Blue, Dark Gray and Silver round out a lineup that would hand the Pro models four options instead of the three colors offered on the iPhone 17 Pro last year.
iPhone 18 Pro Design Meets Higher Prices
The redesign arrives as component costs climb across the industry. Analysts expect the iPhone 18 Pro to sell for as much as $300 above its predecessor, with memory prices and a new 2-nanometer processor taking much of the blame.
Reports converge on a Sept. 9 keynote, and the cheaper iPhone 18 will not follow until spring 2027 under a split release schedule that pushes budget buyers to wait.
Apple introduced the Dynamic Island in 2022 on the iPhone 14 Pro, replacing the notch that had defined the front of the handset since the iPhone X arrived five years earlier. Rumors of a slimmer version surfaced repeatedly across the four years since.
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