iPhone 18 Pro design changes posted by leaker – fans of the enormous camera plateau will be pleased

Apple tends to have a two-year cycle on the design of its phones, sticking to the previous look even if colours change. That means that the iPhone 18 Pro is likely to keep the huge camera plateau on the back, even if there are some minor changes elsewhere.

That's suggested by established leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo, who cites supply chain sources while discussing some of the changes that might appear on the forthcoming iPhone 18 Pro.

They highlight some material changes and minor details, but the physical design of the new iPhone will remain much the same, it's claimed.

It's said that the colours will change, including the introduction of a new red model, although there could also still be changes to the Dynamic Island.

Apple's notch has been something of a hot potato. Designed to house the cameras and sensors needed to power Face ID, it's definitely better to have the notch than not, because the feature it powers is really handy.

It evolved into Dynamic Island, moving from a docked position at the top of the screen to a separated section on the iPhone 14 Pro and subsequent models. Apple used that space to good effect, wrapping features around what was essentially a black bar at the top of the screen.

Debate around the future of Dynamic Island has been raging, with rumours first saying that Apple was going to put some hardware under the display to remove the unsightly black bar, before that was rescinded, with counter claims that Dynamic Island would stay as it is.

We're back to this rumour, with Digital Chat Station saying that there's A/B testing taking place for a smaller island design, suggesting that Apple might move some of that hardware under the display to get it out of the way.

While that might result in a smaller black bar on the phone, it doesn't necessarily mean any loss of function: as long as Face ID works and retains its top-level security credentials, there's no reason why the Dynamic Island features – alerts, activity tracking, music controls and so on – can't stay as they are.

It's just that the dead space on the screen could be reduced and importantly, that could happen without any physical changes to the rest of the phone's design.

That would be a win for those who want to get the most out of the screen, including those who watch a lot of movies or play a lot of games.

As is always the case with Apple's launches, it's very unlikely we'll get any sort of confirmation until launch day, but we're sure that the small island rumour will run right up to September when the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to be announced.