The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have a smaller Dynamic Island that shows up to three Live Activities at once, Apple confirmed at its September 9 event. Face ID is retained.
The change matches a pre-event leak describing a 3-in-1 Dynamic Island feature, and it is one of the few visible differences on a design that otherwise carries over from the iPhone 17 Pro generation with a new rear finish.
What the smaller Dynamic Island does
Apple’s press release describes three things: the cutout is smaller, it can hold up to three Live Activities at the same time, and Face ID still works as before.
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Apple has not published the dimensions of the new cutout or said exactly how much smaller it is than the one on the iPhone 17 Pro.
- Smaller cutout at the top of the display on both the 6.3-inch Pro and the 6.9-inch Pro Max
- Up to three Live Activities visible at once, rather than switching between them
- Face ID retained, so unlocking, Apple Pay and app sign-ins work the same way
- Identical on both models, with no Dynamic Island differences between Pro and Pro Max
What changed and what carried over on iPhone 18 Pro
| Element | iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Island size | Smaller than iPhone 17 Pro |
| Live Activities | Up to three at once |
| Face ID | Retained |
| Display sizes | 6.3-inch Pro, 6.9-inch Pro Max |
| Overall design | Carried over from iPhone 17 Pro, new rear finish |
| Front camera | No changes announced |
The Dynamic Island is the only front-of-phone change Apple called out. The company did not announce changes to the front camera, and the design is otherwise unchanged apart from the rear finish and colors.
The rest of the iPhone 18 Pro design
Apple’s other visible change is the finish. The iPhone 18 Pro comes in Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy, with Black returning after the iPhone 17 Pro skipped it and last year’s Cosmic Orange gone.
Inside, the bigger changes are the 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip, a 48MP main camera with a variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4, and battery life of up to 36 hours of video playback on the Pro and 45 hours on the Pro Max. Our full iPhone 18 Pro announcement coverage has the details.
Pre-orders open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, and the phones arrive Friday, September 18. iOS 27 lands two days earlier on September 14, and Apple has not said whether any of the three-Live-Activity behavior depends on the software update or only on the new hardware.
