Being the phone nerd that I am, whenever I hear about an island, my first thought is that the person I'm listening to is referencing the Dynamic Island, Apple's great plan to turn the notch into something useful. I don't think about other names that have recently been connected to islands like...Gilligan, or Epstein. Recently there has been plenty of speculation about what Apple will do with the Dynamic Island in light of some changes coming to Face ID in the iPhone 18 Pro series.
Renders showing the iPhone 18 Pro's selfie camera in the left corner are incorrect says a leaker
With Apple expected to move Face ID under the display, there has been talk about the tech giant eliminating the Dynamic Island or moving it. FPT's Jon Prosser recently included renders of the iPhone 18 Pro on the latest FPT video. Prosser's iPhone 18 Pro render shows the front-facing camera on the left corner of the display while he notes that the Dynamic Island is too integral a part of the iOS and iPhone experiences for Apple to get rid of. He says that Apple will make the Dynamic Island smaller since it no longer will have to compete with the Face ID array.
Ross Young and Instant digital says that the placement of the selfie camera in this iPhone 18 Pro render is incorrect. | Image credit-FPT
But it appears as though the front-facing camera might not end up in the left corner after all. A Weibo based leaker with the name Instant digital said that other reports about the layout of the iPhone 18 Pro series (written about in The Information, ETNews, and of course FPT) touting the selfie camera's placement in the left corner of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are based on an incorrect translation. This is seconded by a now-retired legend, Ross Young, who co-founded Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC).
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Instant digital's Weibo post machine translated, which gives us the reason for the confusion. | Image credit-Weibo
This is what the Phone 18 Pro and Pro Max displays will look like according to Ross Young and Instant digital
Young's track record over the years for his display-based leaks puts him near the top, if not at the top, of the most accurate leakers. Discussing what some are calling the correct layout for Face ID and the Dynamic Island for the iPhone 18 Pro series, Young said, "Yes this is what I alluded to months ago." The layout that Young and Instant digital expect to see on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look like this:
The Selfie camera will be in the center of the display with a visible cutout for this camera and Face ID.
The cutout on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be smaller than the one seen on current iPhone models.
The Dynamic Island will be unchanged.
This is a design decision where I have no dog in the fight. Where Apple decides to put the front-facing selfie camera doesn't matter to me as long as it keeps the Dynamic Island. When Apple first introduced the Dynamic Island along with the iPhone 14 Pro line, it seemed like the coolest thing in the world, especially when Apple Maps was being used. The "Wow!" factor has largely disappeared over the years although Apple surely has some future plans for the feature that might bring back some of the excitement that the Dynamic Island promised when introduced by Apple on September 7th, 2022.
Where would you like to see Apple put the iPhone 18 Pro selfie camera?
In the center. It make sense and looks balanced.
80%
On the left as seen in the early renders.
0%
On the right. Sure, why not?
0%
I don't care.
20%
It's hard to believe that the Dynamic Island will be four years old when the iPhone 18 Pro series is unveiled later this year (alongside the iPhone Fold). The Apple iPhone models that sport the Dynamic Island include:
What kind of translation error caused the incorrect renders to be made?
According to Instant digital's Weibo post (translated by Google) the incorrect translation issue occurred when he, along with Chinese and Korean media, said that Apple will place an under-screen infrared sensor on the left side of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max displays. An English speaking author apparently made a translation error and thought that the infrared sensor was the selfie-camera.
Now that this has been cleared up, we should have a better idea of what the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look like in the front. Both models should be unveiled in September along with the iPhone Fold. The iPhone 18 base model could be released early in 2027.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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