Apple's iPhone 16 Pro could get a huge Dynamic Island upgrade

When Apple announced the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in 2022 both phones ushered in a new era for Apple's phones. The notch was gone for the first time since its introduction with the iPhone X in 2017, replaced with a new Dynamic Island. Now, a new report claims that Dynamic Island could be about to get its biggest refresh yet.

While Apple brought the Dynamic Island down the lineup to the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus in 2023, it's still the setup that includes a hole + pill configuration to house the camera and Face ID technology. However, a new leak claims that Apple is now testing a change that could come to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

That leak comes via Majin Bu in a post to X, the social network previously known as Twitter. According to them, Apple is testing a new iPhone 16 Pro hole punch setup that would presumably place the Face ID technology beneath the display for the first time. The hole would remain for the selfie camera, however.

With this change, it's likely that Apple would be able to repurpose the extra space to put more information into the Dynamic Island - using the space vacated by the Face ID technology. This also somewhat matches a previous report by display analyst Ross Young who said that Apple would seek to put face ID beneath the display around the time of the iPhone 17 Pro. Notably, Bu's leak also suggests that this iPhone 16 Pro change is currently not finalized and that it's possible "we won't see such a version until the iPhone 17."

Apple has been rumored to be working on moving the Face ID technology beneath the display for months now, but the selfie camera is a different matter. Some phones have tried going that route before with limited success and Apple is unlikely to want to compromise the camera quality of its flagship models just to ditch a single hole - especially considering the Dynamic Island continues to be a particularly identifiable aspect of the iPhone and a key way it displays information.

Bu's X post suggests that March 2024 will be a key milestone for the new Dynamic Island design so it's possible that Apple is yet to conclusively decide whether it will launch with the iPhone 16 Pro or wait another year for the iPhone 17 Pro to debut. We can expect more leaks between now and then of course.