Apple’s progress toward under-display Face ID and a fully uninterrupted iPhone display is encountering ongoing challenges, with a new report indicating that the company is likely to focus on incremental reductions to the Dynamic Island rather than major front-facing design changes in the near term.

dynamic island

A new post from Weibo user “Fixed Focus Digital” suggests that Apple’s development of under-display technologies is not advancing as smoothly as previously anticipated, casting doubt on expectations for significant front-facing design changes in upcoming iPhone models. According to the leaker, Apple’s near-term approach is expected to prioritize refining existing solutions rather than introducing a fully hidden front camera and ‌Face ID‌ system.

The latest information aligns with a growing body of mixed reports surrounding the iPhone 18 Pro models. Earlier claims from multiple sources, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and display industry analyst Ross Young, indicated that Apple would reduce the size of the ‌Dynamic Island‌, likely by relocating some ‌Face ID‌ components beneath the display.

Other sources have cast doubt on the extent of these changes. Weibo leaker “Digital Chat Station” recently claimed that the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models may reuse much of their existing front-facing design, with ‌Face ID‌ and the ‌Dynamic Island‌ remaining “largely unchanged” and more ambitious under-display implementations pushed to a later generation.

In the same series of posts, Fixed Focus Digital also commented on Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone, describing the device as “ultra-flat, moderately sized, and affordably priced,” and claimed that supply chain expectations for production volumes are relatively high.

Ultra-flat, moderately sized, and affordably priced—there is simply no reason for the iPhone Fold to fail. At least on the supply side, inventory expectations are quite substantial. However, if sales do end up flopping… Apple’s stock price is going to take a nosedive.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and Apple’s first foldable iPhone are expected to be announced in the fall.