New Rumors Claim the iPhone 17 Will Sport a Smaller Dynamic Island
Credit: Shutterstock | BigTunaOnline
Toggle Dark Mode
An Apple analyst at equity research firm GF Securities, Jeff Pu, revealed in an investor research note earlier this month that all four iPhone 17 models will adopt metalens technology for Face ID, likely resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island across the lineup. Pu has a decent track record when it comes to rumors about Apple products.
Pu’s comments jibe somewhat with those made earlier this year by the leaker known as Digital Chat Station, who claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would boast a metalens for Face ID, integrating the transmitter and receiver components. The leaker also said the move would reduce the size of the Face ID components used, allowing for a smaller Dynamic Island on the device.
Pu’s comments also act as a follow-up to his comments from October 2024, when he initially said the 2025 iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a “much narrowed” Dynamic Island, due to changes being made for Face ID,
Pu’s October research note said that while the iPhone 17 Pro Max will sport a “metalens” to be used for Face ID, that will result in a “much narrowed” Dynamic Island on the device, he didn’t expect to see the feature be expanded to any other iPhone 17 models at that time.
However, Pu now believes that, in addition to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the entire iPhone 17 lineup will boast the new metalens tech, meaning that the change would include the base model iPhone 17, the super-thin iPhone 17 Air, and the smaller iPhone 17 Pro.
That said, not everyone agrees on whether the Dynamic Island will go from Oliver Hardy-esque proportions to more Stan Laurel-like measurements (Look them up on Wikipedia, kids!)
In January, well-connected Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the size of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 lineup will be “largely unchanged” from the iPhone 16 models.
I expect the Dynamic Island size to remain largely unchanged across the 2H25 iPhone 17 series.
Kuo did not go into any details to support his claim, and to be honest, the phrase “largely unchanged” could imply that the iPhone 17 models might boast a slightly smaller Dynamic Island, but it might be a smaller change than previous rumors had suggested.
Apple first debuted the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models in 2022. The feature has since expanded to be available across all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models.
While the iPhone 17 lineup may receive a smaller Dynamic Island, the 2026 iPhone 18 Pro lineup is rumored to feature under-screen Face ID with only a small front camera hole.
Counterpoint Research vice president Ross Young, who has a good track record when it comes to display-related information for Apple’s devices, which he posted on social media in mid-May. The post indicated Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro models will use an under-screen Face ID system.
“At the SID Business Conference today, OTI Lumionics CEO Michael Helander confirmed that they expect phones with under panel Face ID using their materials to be available for sale in 2026,” wrote Young. “This suggests that iPhone 18 Pro models will have under panel Face ID with other brands and models to follow.”
The analysts and leakers quoted here all boast above average track records when it comes to sharing details about upcoming Apple products, so we will just have to play the wait-and-see on whether the Dynamic Island will noticeably change in size.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
