In summary:
- Macworld reports that the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera cutout may not look dramatically different from current models, despite earlier rumors suggesting major changes.
- Only the infrared flood illuminator will move under the display, while the main camera and other Face ID components remain in a compact central module.
- This arrangement could create a smaller, pill-shaped cutout rather than the significant design overhaul previously expected.
Previous reports about the iPhone 18 Pro have stated that Apple is going to place some of the Face ID sensor array underneath the display and move the camera to the upper-left corner, which prompted some speculation about whether the dynamic island interface elements would move, too. That might not be the case.
Now we’re hearing that such reports are only half-right, and the result of a mistranslation. Prominent leaker account Instant Digital on Weibo cleared things up today. It says that only the infrared flood illuminator is moving to the left and will be under the display. The other elements—dot projector, infrared camera, and regular camera—will be in a more compact module in the center. To illustrate, it included what looks like a mockup image of the TrueDepth module, showing the IR flood illuminator well off to the side and connected by a ribbon cable.
Since this report, frequent leaker ShrimpApplePro and Ross Young of DSCC have both corroborated Instant Digital’s version of events.
Instant Digital
You can see how the current TrueDepth module is a compact array of multiple sensors, and it evolved over time. But the supposed iPhone 18 Pro version has one component off to the left of the under-display IR illuminator in the corner, and a smaller grouping to the right, which should lead to a smaller pill-shaped cutout in the center.
Of course, if the separated component is under the display anyway, it begs the question about why it’s separated at all? Why not keep them as one assembly—the pill-shaped cutout would still be the same size, as the IR illuminator would be under the display wherever it is placed. Perhaps Apple will have other components that have to go near the center along the top edge of the iPhone 18 Pro, and this arrangement creates the necessary room for them.
We won’t really know the answer until the iPhone 18 Pro ships and the teardowns begin. But when the iPhone 18 Pro arrives in September, don’t be surprised if it looks a lot like the iPhone 17 Pro.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.