The iPhone 17 Pro Max may slim down this particular feature

By Bryan M. Wolfe October 25, 2024 7:57AM

The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. — Joe Maring/Digital Trends

The iPhone’s Dynamic Island is expected to get even smaller on the iPhone 17 series, according to technology analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors).

According to Pu, in a research note with investment bank Haitong International, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will offer a “metalens” for Face ID. Because of this, the Dynamic Island will be “much narrowed.”

Recommended Videos

Interestingly, the change isn’t expected to be carried over to the rest of the iPhone 17 series, which is expected to also include an iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and all-new iPhone 17 “Slim.”

A metalens is a flat, thin lens that uses nanostructures on its surface to focus light. Unlike traditional lenses that rely on curved surfaces to bend light, metalenses manipulate light through tiny, precisely arranged structures called “meta-atoms.” It is unknown how this change will affect Face ID on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Pu doesn’t explain why this will lead to a narrower Dynamic Island.

Sports scores for an NBA game displayed in an iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island. — Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Apple first introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro series in 2022. The feature was extended to the entire iPhone 15 lineup a year later, and it remains on this year’s iPhone 16 series. The feature replaced the so-called iPhone “notch” on previous models. It contains an iPhone’s front-facing camera and Face ID sensors and adds interactivity to the iPhone display.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and other members of the iPhone 17 series are expected to launch in September 2025. The company’s upcoming flagship device will likely feature several significant upgrades, including a new camera system, fresh colors, and more.

Overall, iPhone users have had a mixed response to Dynamic Island. While many were pleased to see it replace the dreaded notch, others felt it took up too much space on the iPhone screen. The news above suggests that Apple plans to address this issue next year, at least with one new iPhone model.

Topics

Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

Mobile

Photographic Styles is the best iPhone feature I’ve used in years

Using Photographic Styles control pad on iPhone 16 Pro.

What makes a good photo? For the average person, anything with tons of punchy colors and sharp lines that can elicit some envy-filled comments on social media is good enough. A few would argue that you need reality in a picture, perfect or otherwise, and not a saturated, computationally generated mess.

I recently spent $20 on the Halide app to find out what an AI-free, computation-free picture looks like. The results from the aptly named Process Zero were a revelation. But as any photographer would tell you, a camera is only as good as the hands using it.

Mobile

Samsung is catching up to the iPhone in an unexpected way

A person holding a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and an Apple iPhone 15 Pro.

It's a well-known fact that Apple products retain value for much longer than non-Apple products. Or is it? According to recent data from SellCell, things might be changing.

According to its report, SellCell says that iPhones still hold their value better than the competition, but they depreciate faster with every new release. At the same time, Samsung's flagship models have begun to last a little longer. In fact — and get ready for a lot of numbers — the iPhone has seen almost a 5% drop in value year-over-year since the iPhone 12 was released — and the iPhone 16 is losing value 8% faster than the iPhone 15 and has lost an average of 41.2% of its value in the first two weeks since release. That's a much greater loss than the iPhone 14 and 15 models, at 33% and 33.2%, respectively.

Mobile

A microscopic change may give the iPhone 18 huge performance gains

iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium.

Apple is poised to make a significant change with the iPhone 18 when the series arrives in 2026. A reliable source on Weibo suggests that the tech giant will leverage TSMC's cutting-edge 2-nanometer fabrication process for the A20 chip powering these devices. This advancement promises a significant boost in performance and efficiency.

Furthermore, the iPhone 18 series is rumored to be the first to feature 12GB of RAM across the board, which would be a substantial upgrade from the current 8GB RAM in the iPhone 16 lineup. This increase in memory capacity will enable smoother multitasking and enhanced performance for demanding applications.