Alleged new CAD renderings of Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro are making the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the Dynamic Island saga: to shrink or not to shrink.
An X user called @earlyappleleaks posted the image above, claiming that “new CAD confirms iPhone 18 Pro’s smaller dynamic island.”
CAD renderings often come from factories and represent technical drawings that phone makers share with case makers and accessory makers months before a phone’s launch. It’s unclear if this one is kosher, as the leaker is relatively new to the scene and needs time to build a reputation.
The last notable image they shared was of an alleged iPhone 18 Pro prototype with a smaller dynamic island and what appears to be a Face ID sensor visible under the display. Under-screen Face ID components would create a lightweight dynamic island.
Over the past year, there have been mixed rumors about whether the iPhone 18 Pro models will continue to feature a Dynamic Island or have a punch-hole camera with Face ID under the screen and no Dynamic Island, but the latest information suggests it’s too early to say goodbye to the Dynamic Island.
With BloombergMark Gurman’s Mark Gurman, several prominent leakers on Weibo and other social media sites have said that Apple will reduce the iPhone 18 Pro’s dynamic island, but not eliminate it. We heard similar rumors about a smaller Dynamic Island iPhone 17 Pro last year, but it ended up being the same size.
Most of the iPhone 18 Pro rumors regarding under-screen Face ID and lack of Dynamic Island circulated earlier in 2025, so Apple either considered the feature for the 18 Pro line and pushed it back, or those rumors were irrelevant. There may also have been confusion about what moves under the screen and what doesn’t.
Most recently, Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro won’t have a smaller Dynamic Island at all, with the slimmed-down Dynamic Island being delayed until the iPhone 19.
We’ll know for sure in a few months. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro models alongside its first foldable iPhone this fall, with the standard iPhone 18 arriving early next year as part of a new split-cycle launch strategy.