Apple's largest high-end model in the upcoming iPhone 17 series this year will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station.
The leaker claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a "metalens" for Face ID that integrates the transmitter and receiver components, which will reduce the size and thickness of structural elements, resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island on the device. The technology will also be applied to the next iPad Pro and a rumored foldable iPad, reckons the leaker.
Unlike traditional iPhone cameras, which use curved lenses to bend light toward the image sensor, a metalens is an ultra-thin, flat lens with microscopic nano-structures that precisely control and focus light.
Conflicting Reports
Today's rumor goes against a January report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that claimed the upcoming iPhone 17 models will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island. However, Kuo's report contradicts analyst Jeff Pu's prediction last year that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a metalens for Face ID that results in a "much narrowed" Dynamic Island on the device. Pu in 2024 reiterated the claim several times, and he has a fairly good track record with Apple rumors.
As for Digital Chat Station, they accurately revealed that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would feature a slightly smaller 48-megapixel sensor than the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as the display panel design of the iPhone 12 back in 2020.
Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, and it is also available on all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, but the size has not changed in successive models. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series next September.
