Leaked iPhone 18 Pro CAD Renders Show a Significantly Smaller Dynamic Island

Leaked CAD renders of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro indicate Apple is preparing to significantly reduce the size of the Dynamic Island, according to technical schematics shared online on May 6 by an account claiming access to Apple's design files. The alleged renders depict a noticeably smaller pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display compared to the current iPhone 17 Pro, offering what case manufacturers and analysts say is the clearest evidence yet that Apple is moving forward with the first front-display redesign since introducing the feature four years ago. The leak directly contradicts recent claims from a prominent Chinese source who said the change had been delayed to a future generation, setting up a question that will likely remain unanswered until Apple's fall product announcement.

The Details

An X user operating under the handle @earlyappleleaks posted what they described as authentic CAD renders of the iPhone 18 Pro, stating in a post that "the new CAD confirms the smaller dynamic island of the iPhone 18 pro." The images show a pill-shaped cutout that appeared substantially narrower than the existing Dynamic Island implementation found across the current iPhone 17 Pro line, a visual change that immediately drew attention from accessory makers and Apple observers tracking the company's hardware roadmap.

According to measurements derived from the leaked schematics and reported by Android Headlines, the proposed Dynamic Island measures approximately 14.98mm wide, a figure that would represent a reduction of roughly 25 percent from the current iPhone 17 Pro's cutout. Some estimates drawn from the same renders suggest the visible area could be up to 35 percent smaller when the device reaches consumer shelves. The size reduction is reportedly made possible by moving the Face ID flood illuminator beneath the active display area, a hardware change that would allow the visible cutout to shrink while still requiring space above the screen to accommodate the infrared camera component that remains essential to the biometric authentication system.

The reported shift would place the flood illuminator beneath the display panel while leaving the infrared camera in its current position above the screen, allowing the visible hardware intrusion to shrink without eliminating it entirely. This partial under-display approach matches Gurman's earlier indication that Apple plans to reduce, but not remove, the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro.

The purported CAD images align with earlier reporting from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who has previously indicated that Apple intends to reduce the Dynamic Island's footprint on the iPhone 18 Pro but does not plan to eliminate the feature entirely during this generation. Gurman and other prominent Apple watchers have long suggested a gradual reduction in the size of the cutout rather than an immediate removal, a strategy that would allow Apple to preserve the existing software interface, live activities functionality, and developer integrations while reducing the hardware intrusion into the active display area over multiple product cycles.

But the latest leak is not without its contradictions. In April 2026, prominent Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claimed that the smaller Dynamic Island had been delayed and would not arrive until the iPhone 19 release. That timeline directly contradicts both the new CAD renders, which are sourced from case manufacturers who require accurate external dimensions, and Gurman's earlier statements about Apple's iPhone 18 Pro development roadmap. Apple has not publicly addressed either report and maintains a strict policy of not commenting on unreleased products.

Context

If the leaked schematics prove accurate, the design change would mark the first alteration to the front display cutout since the iPhone 14 Pro introduced the Dynamic Island in 2022. The system, which blends live activities, notifications, media controls, phone call indicators, and system alerts into a single pill-shaped area at the top of the display, has remained visually consistent across subsequent iPhone 15 Pro, 16 Pro, and 17 Pro models, with only incremental adjustments to surrounding bezel widths and software animations between generations.

The significance of the cutout shrinking after four model years would represent a visible hardware evolution for a flagship product line that has kept the front display largely static during that period. For users, a smaller Dynamic Island would provide more usable screen real estate at the top of the display, reducing the visual footprint of the hardware interface element that sits above content in full-screen applications. For accessory manufacturers and case designers, a change in the cutout's dimensions would alter the precise measurements needed for screen protectors, cases, and other third-party products designed around the current component arrangement.

CAD renders are technical design documents shared with case manufacturers and accessory partners during the pre-production phase of a device's lifecycle. They are generally considered reliable indicators of a product's external dimensions, camera placement, port positioning, and cutout arrangements because accessory makers depend on them to produce physically compatible products before a device's public announcement. Industry observers note that while these schematics are typically accurate, they can occasionally omit minor hardware adjustments or cosmetic refinements that occur during final production or late-stage engineering changes before mass manufacturing begins.

What's Next

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro lineup this fall, reportedly alongside its first foldable iPhone design. Whether the smaller Dynamic Island makes it to the final production model remains an open question, given the direct contradiction between the CAD leak sourced by case manufacturers and Digital Chat Station's April claim of a delay to the iPhone 19. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously indicated that the iPhone 18 Pro will shrink but not eliminate the cutout, a position that aligns with the May 6 renders. Apple does not comment on unreleased products, meaning the conflicting reports will likely remain unresolved until the company's anticipated fall announcement.