A set of latest CAD renderings purportedly from Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro recently appeared on social media, once again igniting the debate around “whether to shrink Smart Island”. X user @earlyappleleaks shared the image in question, claiming that "new CAD drawings confirm that the iPhone 18 Pro will feature a smaller smart island."
These types of CAD renderings are usually leaked by factories. They represent technical drawings provided by mobile phone manufacturers to protective case and accessory manufacturers a few months before the release of new products, so they often have certain reference value in revelations. However, the whistleblower is still a "new face" in the industry, and his credibility remains to be tested over time. He had previously released a picture of a suspected iPhone 18 Pro prototype, showing a smaller smart island and a Face ID component suspected to be hidden under the screen. If the Face ID component is indeed placed under the screen, it will create space for the smart island to "slim down".
In the past year, there have been conflicting rumors about whether the iPhone 18 Pro will continue to use Smart Island or switch to "punch-hole front camera + under-screen Face ID, and completely cancel Smart Island". The latest signs show that now may not be the time to say goodbye to Smart Island completely. Several whistleblowers, including Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, as well as some sources on social platforms such as Weibo, have said that Apple will reduce the area of the Smart Island on the iPhone 18 Pro, but will not completely remove it. Similar statements appeared as early as last year's iPhone 17 Pro, but the size of the smart island of the final model has not changed.
Most of the news about iPhone 18 Pro switching to under-screen Face ID and canceling Smart Island are concentrated in early 2025. This may mean that Apple considered introducing this solution to the iPhone 18 Pro series, but subsequently postponed it, or that these rumors themselves are biased. It's also possible that there was confusion in the supply chain about which components would be moved under the screen and which would remain in the opening, leading to inconsistent information.
Recently, the Chinese whistleblower "Digital Chat Station" gave a different statement, saying that the iPhone 18 Pro will not eventually adopt a smaller smart island, and the corresponding adjustments will be postponed to the iPhone 19. This makes the news surrounding the direction of Smart Island further confusing.
What is certain is that the real answer will be revealed in a few months. According to the current pace of leaks, Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 Pro series this fall and also debut its first foldable iPhone, while the standard iPhone 18 will debut early next year as part of Apple's new "staged release" strategy.