- The dynamic island is set to remain unchanged on iPhone 17
- Earlier rumors suggested it could be smaller
- Four new handsets are expected to appear in September
As we look ahead to the expected September launch of the iPhone 17, we’re hearing more rumors about what the Apple flagship phone might bring — including one feature from the iPhone 16 that may not change.
Well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has gone on record saying that the dynamic island that sits atop the displays on the iPhone 16 series will “remain largely unchanged” when it comes to this year’s models .
There has been some talk in the past that the notch would be smaller on the iPhone 17 models as Apple works to reduce the size of the components underneath it (including the Face ID sensor). According to Kuo, that will not be the case.
Patents filed by Apple suggest that the Face ID technology and even the selfie camera could eventually be placed under the display, which would mean that the dynamic island would no longer be necessary – but the change appears to be one or other way away.
Live activities support
預期 2H25 iPhone 17 系列的動態島大小幾乎沒什改變 I expect the dynamic island size to remain largely unchanged across the 2H25 iPhone 17 series24 January 2025
You may recall that the dynamic island was introduced with the iPhone 14 back in 2022, and its subsequent appearance on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 handsets as well. There have been rumors that it will also come to the iPhone SE 4 this year.
The island does more than hide sensors and cameras because it is also used for live activities: app developers can make use of it to display sports scores or navigation instructions or any kind of real-time information needed on the screen.
It could still fulfill this function if it were smaller, and could still pop up on the screen when needed even if it wasn’t permanently on the display, but these are all considerations that Apple is weighing up when it comes to the future of the dynamics Ø.
Nothing will be certain until launch day, of course, but other rumors point to an iPhone 17 Air model replacing the iPhone 16 Plus, while we’ve also heard that there could be display upgrades and improved cooling systems in the offing.
