Just as Apple gears up for the iPhone 17 launch, new leaks about next year’s iPhone 18 Pro series are already stirring excitement. According to trusted Weibo leakster Digital Chat Station, Apple plans to ditch its now-iconic Dynamic Island in favor of a punch-hole design and debut under-display Face ID.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are tipped to feature 6.27-inch and 6.86-inch LTPO OLED panels, respectively, both with 1.5K resolution. The devices will reportedly utilize Hole-in-Active-Area (HIAA) technology, a punch-hole solution that clears pixels over the selfie camera for a cleaner front design. This would mark Apple’s most dramatic screen redesign since the iPhone X.
More impressively, Apple is testing under-display Face ID prototypes, a move long rumored but hindered by hardware challenges. Face ID relies on a mix of infrared sensors a dot projector, flood illuminator, and IR camera which are tricky to integrate under OLED screens optimized for visible light. But if Apple has indeed solved this, we could be looking at a landmark year for iPhone design.
As always, these are early leaks, and nothing’s officially confirmed. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is still expected to launch with a shrunken Dynamic Island this year, thanks to new metalens technology. But by 2026, the iPhone 18 Pro lineup might finally deliver on Apple’s ambition for a truly immersive, notch-free display.
