WEB DESK: If you were hoping the iPhone 18 Pro would finally give Apple’s display sizes a shake-up, you might want to lower those expectations just a little. A fresh leak out of China suggests that while the screens themselves may stay the same size, how they look and function could be headed for a major evolution.
According to tipster Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected to stick with their familiar 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, the same sizes seen on the current iPhone 16 Pro series. That means Apple could be locking in the same screen dimensions for a third straight generation, including the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models due later this year.
But the lack of size change does not mean 2026’s iPhones will be boring. In fact, they could bring some of the most dramatic front-facing design tweaks we’ve seen in years.
Face ID might go fully hidden
One of the headline changes is under-display Face ID.
This rumour has been circulating for a while, and multiple sources, including today’s leak, display analyst Ross Young, and a recent in-depth report from The Information, all suggest that 2026 is the year Apple finally makes the move.
If accurate, this would be the first time Apple removes visible Face ID hardware entirely, potentially eliminating the Dynamic Island’s pill-shaped cutout. Apple may still keep it around as a UI feature that appears only when needed and disappears the rest of the time, creating a cleaner and less cluttered display.
Just a single pinhole remains
To make way for the hidden tech, Apple is also expected to reduce the visible cutout to a single small pinhole for the front camera. It would use a technique called hole-in-active-area (HIAA), which lets the camera peek through the screen without needing a large notch or cutout.
What’s more, The Information also suggests the camera hole might shift to the top-left corner of the display. This would make it the first iPhone to have an off-centre front camera, a move familiar to Android users but unusual for Apple.
Fans are not holding back
This idea of an off-centre camera has sparked plenty of reactions on social media.
Some users are calling on Apple to keep things simple and just centre the camera. “Centre the camera and wrap the island around it. It’s not rocket science,” one frustrated user wrote.
Others believe Apple is working toward putting everything under the screen, but the camera quality just isn’t there yet. “They probably want to do it, but it doesn’t meet their standards. Hopefully by the iPhone 20,” said one commenter.
Time for a new naming strategy?
Amid the design rumours, some fans are also questioning Apple’s naming system. If we are getting the iPhone 18 in 2026, why not just call it the iPhone 26?
One user on X put it this way: “Hey Apple, while you’re reworking the iOS naming to reflect fiscal years, why not do the same with iPhones? Call the next one iPhone 26. It would be a lot easier to track model years. Do the same for iPads and MacBooks too. It works for cars.”
Whether Apple will take any of this on board remains to be seen, but one thing is clear. Fans are eager for change, even if they can’t all agree on what it should look like.
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