The iPhone 17 will feature four models, just like previous iPhone families. However, Apple’s next iPhone series will deliver a big change compared to the last couple of years. The ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air will replace the iPhone Plus size, and that’s the iPhone I’m most excited about.
The other three models, the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, will look a lot like their predecessors, though Apple is preparing at least one important design change for some of them. The rear panel might be made of glass and aluminum, a first for the iPhone. The camera module might also get a camera bar aspect, similar to the Pixel phones on some models.
Then there’s the rumored adoption of metalens camera tech for the Face ID module on the front, which will supposedly help Apple reduce the size of the Dynamic Island cutout. Previous reports said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be the only phone offering the improved Dynamic Island design. But could the iPhone 17 Pro also feature metalens camera components?
The iPhone Pro Max is traditionally the model Apple chooses to debut new iPhone tech. The tetraprism zoom camera and the sensor-shift optical image stabilization tech are such examples. Also, Apple tried, at least for a while, to differentiate the Pro Max from the regular Pro.
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Recent rumors said the iPhone 17 Pro Max would follow the pattern. The largest iPhone 17 series phone would feature the smallest screen cutout, thanks to the adoption of metalens technology in the Face ID camera.
Metalens is a camera technology that allows the design of flat lenses that can still focus light. Instead of curvatures specific to regular lenses, metalens features tiny surface components involved in light focusing.
While unconfirmed, the rumors made sense. Apple wants to eventually move the Face ID and FaceTime camera components under the display. Before we get there, Apple may choose to shrink the Dynamic Island cutout. After all, Apple also shrank the notch before replacing it with the Dynamic Island.
A new report from MyDrivers reiterates the rumor with an important twist. The report doesn’t single out the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Instead, the blog says that the iPhone 17 Pro models would get metalens Face ID cameras. Therefore, both models would feature smaller Dynamic Island cutouts.
The report also says the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature even thinner bezels than the iPhone 16 Pros, resulting in an even better screen design.
That said, I wouldn’t put too much faith into this claim just yet. It makes more sense for a smaller Dynamic Island cutout to appear on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Maybe MyDrivers referred generally to the iPhone 17 Pro phones in the absence of more information. Or something got lost in the translation.
I don’t care all that much about a smaller Dynamic Island. I could easily use an iPhone notch and care little about the display real estate I’d be losing or the lack of Dynamic Island features. I’m already looking forward to the iPhone 17 Air, even if that means dealing with some compromises, including a Dynamic Island that’s as big as the iPhone 16’s.
