iPhone 17 With a Smaller Dynamic Island? Here's What Rumors Say

All four iPhone 17 models will adopt metalens technology for Face ID, according to Jeff Pu, an Apple analyst at equity research firm GF Securities. He revealed this information in an investor research note earlier this month.

iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island
Earlier this year, a leaker known as Digital Chat Station also claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would adopt a metalens for Face ID that integrates the transmitter and receiver components. They said that this change would reduce the size of some of the Face ID components, resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island on the device.

Last year, Pu also said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would have a much narrower Dynamic Island, as a result of the metalens. However, he now believes that all of the iPhone 17 models will adopt a metalens, meaning that the change would extend to the base model iPhone 17, the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and the smaller iPhone 17 Pro.

In January, however, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that he expects the Dynamic Island‌'s size to remain "largely unchanged" across the ‌iPhone 17‌ series.

All three sources have proven track records of sharing details about future Apple products, so it remains to be seen if the Dynamic Island will change in size.

In any case, next year's iPhone 18 Pro models are rumored to feature under-screen Face ID with only a small front camera hole.

Related Roundups: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

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

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT 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...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...

Top Rated Comments

211 Avatar
22 weeks ago
What I really hate about Dynamic Island is that it covers the 4/5G icon when it is active. I don’t know why Apple always thinks there is a data signal everywhere all the time. Maybe in San Francisco, but definitely not in the United Kingdom
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradman83 Avatar
22 weeks ago
The dot projector used for FaceID is currently prism-based and takes up almost the entire thickness of an iPhone or iPad. This is the reason why FaceID is not currently doable in a MacBook's even thinner screen chassis. Switching to a metalens for the dot projector could potentially collapse the amount of space needed and allow Apple to finally offer FaceID on its laptops.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
42545 Avatar
22 weeks ago
one way or another the dynamic island occupies more space than the notch and I think it looks bad.If you put them side by side, the apps are higher on the one with the notch.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MRSugarD Avatar
22 weeks ago
Can't wait til the Dynamic Island is history. Hopefully by 2027 right in time for the 20th anniversary model.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IAmStumped Avatar
22 weeks ago
I really like the Dynamic Island. I find it extremely useful. Hopefully they won't get rid of it altogether.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
virginblue4 Avatar
22 weeks ago

It's hard for me to believe that Apple would make any significant changes to the Dynamic Island this year if they were planning to scrap it altogether next year.
You mean like making the notch smaller on the 13 Pro only to introduce the Dynamic Island the following year with the 14 Pro?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)