iPhone 17 Pro Max rumored to feature smaller Dynamic Island

There’s plenty of time ahead of the iPhone 17 launch but that hasn’t stopped the rumors from spreading and the latest one predicts a smaller display cutout on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. As per tipster Digital Chat Station, the upcoming Pro Max iPhone will see a slimmer Dynamic Island, which would incorporate metalens Face ID components that shrink its overall footprint.

Metalenses are advanced, ultra-thin optical lenses that use nanostructures to manipulate light at a microscopic level. They use arrays of nanostructures like titanium dioxide or silicon and can precisely control incoming light's phase, amplitude, and polarization. Thus, metalenses can replace the traditional lens stacking seen in smartphone cameras, leading to slimmer camera modules.

Metalens (image: Ansys)

The metalens Face ID tech is expected to eventually make its way to future iPad Pro models and the rumored foldable iPad device that’s speculated to launch next year.

This new rumor contradicts a previous report from noted Apple supply chain specialist Ming-Chi Kuo, which claims the entire iPhone 17 series will have the exact same Dynamic Island as the current iPhone 16 generation. All of this is unconfirmed speculation at this point, so take all of this information with a few grains of salt.

Source (in Chinese)