The first reports on the iPhone 18 Pro with under-display Face ID and a smaller Dynamic Island They're starting to outline the biggest front-end design change in years for Apple's high-end lineup. Although its official unveiling is still months away, leaks already offer a fairly clear picture of where the company is headed.
According to these sources, Apple is finalizing a extensive redesign of the front The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max models, slated for 2026, will feature a particular focus on integrating the facial recognition system under the OLED panel and reducing the space occupied by the Dynamic Island. All of this will be combined with a new 2nm A20 processor and significant improvements to the camera and battery.
Under-display Face ID: the great design leap
The most striking change involves placing all Face ID elements directly under the screenThis abandons the current elongated island solution. The idea is that the user will barely notice the presence of the sensors, while maintaining the same level of biometric security.
To achieve this, Apple and its panel suppliers, primarily Samsung and LG DisplayThey would have been working on it for years. new OLED materials capable of allowing enough infrared light to pass through without degrading image quality. The challenge lies in ensuring the system can continue to generate a 3D map of the face as reliable as the current one.
Leaks suggest that internal prototypes have already achieved reduce light obstruction by up to 50%as well as slimming down the facial recognition module by a few tenths of a millimeter. This miniaturization is key to ensuring the hardware is completely hidden under the panel without compromising the device's durability.
In terms of safety, the company would maintain an estimated error rate of one in a millionwith response times around 60 milliseconds. In other words, for the end user, the experience should be as fast and reliable as the current Face ID, but with a much less intrusive design.
Dynamic Island is smaller and has an almost "all screen" front
The arrival of Face ID under the panel would allow Apple drastically reduce the Dynamic IslandInstead of the "pill" format introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro, rumors describe a much more discreet, punch-hole cutout, reserved only for the front camera.
On the iPhone 18 Pro, this change would free up a significant portion of the top of the screen, reinforcing the brand's commitment to a minimalist front designThe goal is to give the content even more prominence, with fewer visual distractions around it.
At the software level, Dynamic Island would continue to fulfill its role as a hub for alerts and live activitiesBut adapted to the new circular cutout. The visual experience would be cleaner, especially in full-screen video playback and games, where the front gap would be much less noticeable.
This approach brings Apple closer to the idea of the “all-screen” iPhone that the industry has been pursuing for years. Once Face ID is established under the panel, the next logical step would be to address in the future a possible hidden front cameraHowever, for now, leaks are focused only on the iPhone 18 generation.
A20 2nm chip and proprietary 5G modem
This leap in front-end design will be accompanied by a new A20 processor manufactured using a 2-nanometer process by TSMC, destined to be the heart of the iPhone 18 Pro. This architecture would mark a significant advance in both raw performance and energy efficiency compared to the previous generation.
Preliminary data suggests a performance increase of close to 20% compared to the A18 chip for A20 chipwhile reducing power consumption. This combination will be key to managing new artificial intelligence tasks, the additional processing required by the under-display Face ID, and advanced computational photography features.
In addition, the chip would integrate a Apple's own 5G modem (possibly called C2)The intention is to reduce reliance on external suppliers like Qualcomm, at least for high-end models. This move would allow for better optimization of connectivity and adjustment of energy consumption on mobile networks.
Another of the technical innovations mentioned is the use of a type of packaging WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module)Designed to improve thermal management and sustained performance, this would be especially relevant in demanding scenarios such as prolonged video recording, graphically intensive gaming, or AI functions running on the device itself.
Camera improvements: variable aperture and brighter sensors
In terms of photography, leaks agree that the iPhone 18 Pro will take another step forward. The main camera will reportedly feature a variable opening system, which could move approximately between f/1.4 and f/4.0.
This type of optics would allow the user, or the system itself automatically, physically adapt the light entry depending on the scene. In dark environments, the lens would open wider to capture more light; in good light, it could be closed to improve overall sharpness and better control depth of field.
In practice, this would translate to cleaner night photosWith less noise, and portraits with more natural background blur, without relying so heavily on software portrait mode. It would also make it easier to play creatively with focus, something interesting for those who use their phone as their main camera, both personally and professionally.
Along with this variable opening, the following are expected improved sensors with greater light-gathering capacity and image processing supported by the AI capabilities of the new A20. Apple would continue to focus on combining hardware changes with software improvements to keep the camera of its Pro models competitive against other Android flagships.
Larger battery and possible increase in thickness
Another area where changes are expected is autonomy. Several sources indicate that the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and to a lesser extent the 18 Pro, could Increase battery capacity thanks to stacked cell technologyincreasing the energy density by around 30%.
In numbers, we're talking about a battery of around 5400 mAh in the Pro Max model and weighing around 243 grams, which would place it among the heaviest iPhones released to date. The chassis would also be slightly thicker to accommodate this battery.
This decision reinforces the idea that Apple is prioritizing resistance and autonomy in the face of extreme thinnessThis is something that many advanced users in Europe value positively, especially those who use their phones intensively during the workday or while on the go.
The challenge, as always, will be finding the balance: for those looking for a lightweight device that's easy to handle with one hand, that increase in weight may be excessive; for others, the possibility of spending more hours away from the charger That sacrifice will be compensated for in portability.
Planned schedule and launch strategy
Regarding deadlines, the reports place the presentation of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max in fall 2026Apple would thus maintain its usual launch window, but could choose to stagger the arrival of the different variants of the range to the market.
Some analysts mention the possibility that the Pro models, with under-display Face ID and a reduced Dynamic Island, get ahead of the rest of the iPhone 18 familyThe "basic" iPhone 18 could arrive somewhat later, in the first months of 2027, with a gradual adoption of new screen technologies.
This approach would allow the company to focus media attention on high-end models And at the same time, more gradually scale up the mass production of panels with integrated sensors. For the European market, including Spain, no major differences in dates are expected compared to other recent launches: the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to be available in the main EU countries from the first waves.
Initial shipment estimates for the iPhone 18 series range from 2 to 5 million units Initially, the Pro models accounted for around 40% of that volume. This proportion reflects the strong demand for the more advanced versions, especially in mature markets like Europe.
Production challenges and coordination with suppliers
Mass-producing an iPhone with under-display Face ID is not without its challenges. Since 2023, Apple's engineering teams and their partners have been working on Optimize light extraction through OLED panels, one of the most complex technical barriers of this project.
Ensuring that millions of screens meet the brand's demanding standards involves developing highly consistent production processeswhere small variations in transparency or layer alignment could compromise the accuracy of facial recognition.
Software also comes into play: iOS must be calibrated down to the millimeter to compensate for any interference generated by the panel when infrared light passes through the screen. This requires new image processing and machine learning algorithms capable of adjusting Face ID's operation in real time.
Coordination with component suppliers is especially intensive at this stage. The company needs to ensure that the new materials and manufacturing techniques are compatible. be scalable and reliableso that tens of millions of units can be produced without failure rates that would jeopardize the launch.
A Pro designed for the era of AI and intensive use
With all these changes, the iPhone 18 Pro with under-display Face ID and a smaller Dynamic Island is shaping up to be a model aimed at users who demand a lot from the device: content creators, professionals who depend on their mobile phone daily, or those who prioritize security, autonomy and performance for several years.
The new 2nm A20 chip, the integration of its own modem, the camera system with variable aperture, the commitment to higher capacity batteries, and the redesigned front with fewer visible elements all point to a a deeper evolution than a simple iterative updateIf the leaks are confirmed, we would be looking at a Pro generation that attempts to mark a turning point in the line, and not just an incremental step compared to the previous series.
