After weeks of mixed signals and half-translated leaks, the iPhone 18 Pro’s front design is finally starting to make sense. And no, your eyes were not playing tricks on you. The Dynamic Island is not packing its bags for the left side of the display after all.
How the confusion started
We already know Face ID is easier to hide under the display than the selfie camera. Apple refuses to compromise on front camera quality, so under-display Face ID was always expected to arrive first, with the camera lagging behind.
That’s where the rumors began to spiral.
Earlier reports suggested the iPhone 18 Pro would hide Face ID entirely and leave behind a single punch-hole selfie camera. Things escalated when The Information claimed that camera might move to the top-left corner of the display. Jon Prosser followed up with a render showing the Dynamic Island animating from the left side, and Korean supply chain reports seemed to support the idea of invisible Face ID hardware.
At that point, it even raised a bigger question: if Face ID is hidden and the camera is just a single hole, does Apple still need the Dynamic Island at all?
What actually seems to be happening
According to leaker Instant Digital, a lot of this chaos came down to mistranslation. The key detail that got lost was which Face ID component was moving.
Face ID is not a single part. It is made up of multiple modules, including an infrared flood illuminator, a dot projector, and an infrared camera. The latest clarification suggests that only the flood illuminator which is the simplest and smallest component in the Face ID module, is being moved under the display. The rest stays put.
That means:
- The selfie camera remains centered.
- Some Face ID hardware still needs a visible cutout.
- The Dynamic Island survives, just smaller.
Former display analyst Ross Young has now backed this interpretation, simply confirming that this is what he had been pointing to months ago. Given his track record, that endorsement matters.
Why this makes more sense for Apple
From a usability standpoint, keeping the Dynamic Island centered is the cleanest option. Its animations, live activities, navigation cues, and symmetry are all designed around a central anchor point. Shifting it to the left would introduce unnecessary complexity for developers and awkward visual balance for users.
More importantly, Apple already turned the Dynamic Island from a workaround into a feature. It is not just hiding sensors anymore. It is actively used. Shrinking it while keeping it centered fits Apple’s usual design evolution far better than relocating it.
Moving the selfie camera to the left only really becomes necessary if Apple hits a major design constraint internally. Right now, there is no clear reason to do that.
The likely iPhone 18 Pro outcome
Based on the latest and most reliable information, the iPhone 18 Pro is shaping up to deliver:
- A smaller Dynamic Island
- Centered selfie camera
- Partial under-display Face ID
- No dramatic left-side camera cutout
Related: iPhone 18 Display Sizes and Dynamic Island Changes Leak Ahead of Launch
In other words, a refinement, not a reinvention.
Apple rarely makes abrupt design jumps without a strong functional reason. This looks like another careful step toward that uninterrupted slab of glass and not the leap some early rumors suggested.
And honestly, that is probably the most Apple outcome possible.
