The Anatomy of a Shrinking Notch: Engineering Under-Display Face ID
Ahead of Apple’s official "Surprise and Shine" fall launch event, supply-chain leaks and dimensional schematics reveal the biggest front-panel redesign since the iPhone 14 Pro.
According to CAD renders and prototype leaks shared across Weibo, the iPhone 18 Pro’s Dynamic Island is shrinking down to 13.49mm—a massive 35% reduction from the 20.76mm cutout on previous generations. The result gives the flagship a record-breaking screen-to-body ratio.
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ iPhone 18 Pro Cutout Dimensional Scale│
└───────────────────┬────────────────────┘
│
┌───────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼
┌───────────────────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
│ iPhone 17 Pro Dynamic Island │ │ iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island │
├───────────────────────────────────┤ ├───────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Width: ~20.76 mm │ │ • Width: ~13.49 mm (-35%) │
│ • Surface IR Flood Illuminator │ │ • Under-Display IR Flood Module │
│ • Surface Dot Projector & Camera │ │ • Surface Dot Projector & Camera │
└───────────────────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────────────┘
Under-Display Hardware & Flagship Specifications
To slim the Island without compromising Face ID security, Apple’s hardware design team relocated the Infrared (IR) Flood Illuminator directly beneath the OLED panel. The Dot Projector and IR Camera remain inside the reduced physical punch-hole, freeing up valuable real estate in the iOS top status bar for battery percentages and active notification icons.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HARDWARE & SPECS MATRIX │
├──────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────┤
│ Feature │ Specification Details │ Lineup Tier │
├──────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┤
│ Display Sizes │ 6.3-inch (Pro) / 6.9-inch (Pro Max) │ Pro Exclusive │
│ Processor │ TSMC 2nm A20 Pro Chip (7-Core GPU) │ Pro / Ultra │
│ Memory │ 12GB LPDDR5X RAM (96-Bit Interface) │ Pro / Ultra │
│ Hero Color │ Cherry Red / Dark Wine (Replaces Cosmic Orange)│ Pro Exclusive │
└──────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┘
Apple's Staggered Launch Strategy under CEO John Ternus
The leak also confirms a major structural shakeup in Apple's historical release cadence. Following Tim Cook’s transition to Executive Chairman, newly appointed CEO John Ternus will lead a split launch pipeline:
-
Fall Event (Phase 1): Focuses exclusively on high-margin, enthusiast hardware—the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s debut foldable, the iPhone Ultra.
-
Spring Launch (Phase 2): The base-tier standard iPhone 18 and entry-level iPhone 18e are delayed until early spring.
Disclaimer:
Dimensional measurements, A20 Pro memory bus details, and color option codenames remain supply-chain leaks and community speculation until confirmed on stage by Apple.
sulaa Games Tech Editorial: The Hardware Engineering Priority Shift
From our hardware and mobile display desk at sulaa Games, moving the IR Flood Illuminator beneath an active OLED panel represents a massive engineering victory for Apple’s display partners. Under-display sensor arrays have historically suffered from light refraction and diffusion artifacts when passing through active pixel matrices. Successfully tucking optical Face ID components under the glass without degrading biometric authentication speeds proves Apple’s sensor technology is maturing rapidly.
Equally fascinating is Apple’s commercial strategy under new CEO John Ternus. Splitting the iPhone portfolio by holding back the base iPhone 18 until spring allows Apple to turn its fall showcase into a pure luxury, ultra-premium hardware launch.
By anchoring the event around $1,000+ Pro models and a $2,000+ foldable "iPhone Ultra", Apple is maximizing average selling prices (ASP) while giving its 2nm A20 Pro chip production line room to scale. If a narrower 13.49mm cutout is the new visual marker of elite iPhone status, expect the "Cherry Red" 18 Pro to dominate consumer demand this fall.
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