Apple Insider Confirms iPhone Dynamic Island Changes

Apple's iPhone is renowned for its distinctive design from the round home button to the dynamic island. However, potential alterations to this design could bring about a fresh, clutter-free appearance. The new information about iPhone 17's redesign comes from well-known Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo. In a Medium post, Kuo talks about the changes to the selfie camera, planned by Apple for the presumptive iPhone 17 set to launch in 2025.

What he finds particularly interesting, though, is the revamp of the iPhone's display, which could affect the signature dynamic island. The dynamic island is a user interface element designed to cover the punch hole in the display for the selfie camera lens. Rather than letting it stand alone, the dynamic island envelopes it with black pixels. This space is then used for data or widgets, with the camera island size adjusting according to the displayed information.

The dynamic island also conceals several other sensors, including the sensors used for FaceID. Kuo predicts these will be modified by situating them beneath the display, letting the screen cover them instead of wrapping around them. This will enable the fixed segment of the dynamic island to be smaller and exhibit additional data.

While Apple plans to retain the punchout hole for the selfie camera in the iPhone 17 design—presumably because camera image quality would be compromised too much—it is expected that in-display technology will evolve, and Kuo anticipates the iPhone 18 design will support a complete, uninterrupted display. Check out the latest in iPhone, iOS, and iPad news in Forbes' weekly Apple Loop news digest.