Apple might redesign the iPhone 17’s front after all
A new leak suggests Apple may change a key display element of the iPhone 17 series.
iPhone 17 Series renders. | Image credit — Digital Chat Station
Posting on Weibo, the well-known leaker Digital Chat Station leaked (source in Chinese) multiple details about the iPhone 17 series. Among them was a mention of the Dynamic Island, which, according to a machine translation, may feature a brand-new UI.
The post doesn’t go into details about what changes Apple might be making to the Dynamic Island, sticking to a rather vague language. That’s far from the first time we’ve heard about such changes on the iPhone 17 series, though.
Apple’s new island
We first heard of a smaller Dynamic Island late last year. Initially, rumor had it that the changes would only apply to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, in January, that rumor was debunked by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed the size of the Dynamic Island would remain largely unchanged across Apple’s 2025 lineup.
Fast-forward to February of this year, and Digital Chat Station was insisting on a smaller Dynamic Island for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The leaker then claimed Apple may use metalens technology for the Face ID system to shrink the size of the display’s opening.
iPhone 17 renders | Image Credit — Majin Bu
While Digital Chat Station’s track record is rather good, Ming-Chi Kuo is one of the most respected Apple analysts and among the most reliable sources of the company’s future plans.
I wouldn’t disregard the new information, but I’d be surprised if Apple makes any drastic changes to the Dynamic Island this year. I think both sources could be right, and Apple might use some new technology for the Face ID system, but that wouldn’t lead to any significant changes to the size of the Dynamic Island.
The other changes
The new leak vaguely mentions a few other changes that might be coming to the iPhone 17 series. Part of it is a fine-tuned design of the base iPhone 17 model, though there’s no further explanation of what that would mean. Similarly, a “horizontal large matrix” will have a new design with unspecified consequences.
On a clearer note, the leak includes a claim about the use of LIPO screens, which would allow narrower bezels, and a high-resolution 5x zoom camera. Digital Chat Station also reiterates the changes to the camera bump design.
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