The iPhone 17 Pro could come with a smaller Dynamic Island, according to another last-minute rumor

iPhone 16 Pro
The iPhone 16 Pro, with its Dynamic Island (Image credit: Apple)

  • The iPhone 17 Pro Dynamic Island could be smaller
  • This is a long-running rumor around the phone
  • We'll find out for sure at the launch this coming Tuesday

We're counting down the days to the launch of the iPhone 17 launch on our Apple live event blog, but with the show fast approaching, we're still seeing the leaks drip out online – including a new rumor about the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 Pro.

According to an X tipster (via MacRumors), the Dynamic Island on the Pro and Pro Max phones could be about to get smaller. This particular source doesn't have any track record to speak of, but there are multiple images to support the claims.

What's more, besides the tip being picked up by a major Apple rumors site, it fits in with earlier rumors from multiple sources that the Dynamic Island would be shrinking on some iPhone 17 models, or at least changing size and shape somehow.

The amount of chatter there's been around this particular modification means we're more ready to believe it's going to happen, though of course nothing is certain until Apple actually unveils the four iPhone 17 models we're expecting.

Island history

Apple iPhone 16e

The iPhone 16e missed out on the Dynamic Island (Image credit: Future)

You may remember the Dynamic Island first showed up in 2022 on the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, replacing the notch. As well as housing elements like the Face ID camera, it also offered a space for iOS and installed apps to display real time information.

With the iPhone 15 series, the Dynamic Island came to every smartphone in Apple's flagship series, and that continued with the iPhone 16 phones last year. However, it was left off the iPhone 16e that appeared in February 2025, which uses the older notch design.

The Dynamic Island hasn't changed since it was introduced in 2022, and it's not clear what the benefits of making it smaller would be – though there would be more actual screen space on show, and eventually it may disappear completely.

This is just one of many changes that have been predicted for the iPhone 17, from a revised Camera Control to more battery life. We'll be covering all of the announcements on Tuesday, September 9, and you can also watch along live.

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David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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