Before deciding on the Dynamic Island as you know it, Apple had some other ideas

Before Apple introduced the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, there had been speculation that the notch was going to be replaced on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with dual pill and hole cutouts. We showed you an image with an accurate representation of what turned out to be the Dynamic Island in January 2022, eight months before Apple introduced the feature.

When Apple showed off the Dynamic Island during the 2022 event, the initial response of some viewing the livestream was awe and excitement. Others were not impressed. With the Dynamic Island available on all four iPhone 15 models this year, more iPhone users than ever have been experiencing the feature. While I was one of those excited by the Dynamic Island when it was unveiled, for the most part, I have been underwhelmed by it.

According to information obtained by MacRumors, before deciding on the final placement and capabilities of the Dynamic Island, Apple had some other locations and formats it was considering. Based on the information it received, MacRumors created renders showing what these other concepts would have looked like had Apple decided to go another way to replace the notch.

One of the alternatives to the Dynamic Island would have placed a vertical screen on the right side of the display that showed some of the icons normally found on the status bar in the upper right of the screen. This displayed the time, cellular signal strength (the infamous bars), Wi-Fi indicator, display brightness, volume, and the battery life indicator. When this screen was not in use, it would not appear.

Another possibility, and one I actually do like, hid the notch in a large black status bar at the top of the screen. The time is displayed on the left side with the status bar icons on the right. Since the phone features an OLED panel, creating the color black on the screen requires the appropriate pixels to be turned off which would also lead to improved battery life.

When Apple created the Dynamic Island, it originally covered the top of the screen almost covering the entire width of the display. But Apple decided that it was better to have the Dynamic Island change size if necessary. The company also considered other capabilities for the Dynamic Island, including one that showed the volume of the phone, another that displayed a row of system shortcuts, and another that used a never-seen before layout for phone calls in progress.

According to one of the most accurate leakers, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), the iPhone 17 Pro will move the iPhone's front-facing camera and Face ID components under the display. It could mean the end of the Dynamic Island on the Pro models. The non-Pro models won't see this move until iPhone 18 at the earliest.