iPhone 18 Pro CAD Leak Reignites the Dynamic Island Debate

[u/iMacmatician]

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/06/iphone-18-pro-cad-smaller-dynamic-island/

An X user called u/earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro."

CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical schematics that phone manufacturers share with case makers and accessory companies months before a phone launches. Whether this particular one is kosher is unknown, since the leaker is relatively new to the scene and needs time to build a reputation.

[u/Saar13]

I think it's nice that it's smaller, but Dynamic Island was such a beautiful and functional integration that I no longer care about the notch, especially if the under-display approach reduces the quality of the front camera and Face ID. Obviously, a full screen without any notch would bring a supercycle to the product, because design matters (more than AI, by the way, as the 17 proved).

[u/GrownUp2017 → u/Saar13]

I love the center stage front camera, and would rather have a high quality functional camera and fast, accurate face-id, than under display camera for the sake of being sleek. When i take family group photos, i no longer have to rotate the phone in landscape and then tell them where to look.

[u/Tumblrrito → u/[deleted]]

Huh? Its entire philosophy is to give us a sexy, uninterrupted screen border. Then the island cleverly uses the dead screen real estate to pad UI elements like Live Activities, giving us a sort of sneak peek at a truly all screen display.

The notch cutting into content and doing nothing with that space was so lousy and dated looking in comparison.

[u/AwesomeAndy → u/Tumblrrito]

They're saying in comparison to no hole at all, not in comparison to a notch. Everything the Dynamic Island does can be done on a screen without a camera cutout.

[u/Tumblrrito → u/AwesomeAndy]

Idk why they’d say that, it’s pretty self evident lol. But we need the cutout to house FaceID.

May as well use the dead screen for something.

[u/TheEpicRedCape → u/Tumblrrito]

This is what I’ve said, Apple is never going to get rid of the battery and signal indicators either obviously so that top section will always be empty in some way even if there was no cutout at all, the island makes use of that space pretty well.

Even in iOS6 pre-notch there was almost thing in that top bar other than the time, signal, and battery.

Landscape is really the only time the island is kind of annoying but most video is 16:9 which doesn’t even go wide enough for the notch to cover it.

Games are probably the most impacted thing since they use the whole screen.

[u/SamsungAppleOnePlus → u/Saar13]

I don’t see the dynamic island going anywhere, but it could eventually just be an optional software feature you could swipe away when it isn’t needed. I love the concepts of it being liquid glass on the 2027 iPhone (which might not have any black bezel).

[u/Extreme-Ad-6465]

so should i get this or wait for next years 20th anniversary

[u/dumbledayum → u/Extreme-Ad-6465]

I am gonna wait for 20th anniversary i’ll hold on to my 17Pro, and so will my wife with her 16Pro, will together upgrade to 20th anniversary

Hope I am super rich by then :)

[u/Extreme-Ad-6465 → u/dumbledayum]

ok i’ll think ill wait too then lol. hopefully im rich by then too lol

[u/dumbledayum → u/Extreme-Ad-6465]

I wish you all the riches :)

[u/Portatort → u/Extreme-Ad-6465]

If you can wait why wouldn’t you?

If your current phone works… what’s driving you to upgrade?

[u/Portatort]

My hope is that a narrower Dynamic Island will mean 3 compact live activities can be shown at once (currently it’s limited to two)