At the beginning of 2026, rumors surfaced that the
iPhone 18 Pro might come with some
major design changes. Those were later
brushed off as "being lost in translation" (via Mashable), suggesting the Dynamic Island might not be refined this year. And now, a fresh-off-the-oven Weibo leak by Digital Chat Station further reinforces this claim.
iPhone 18 Pro might look pretty much the same
The well-known tipster has just shared that the latest supply chain rumors indicate Apple may not be pushing for an under-display Face ID with its upcoming flagship. Earlier this year, tips indicated that the Cupertino tech giant might be working on redefining the Dynamic Island on the
iPhone 18 Pro, delivering a near-full-screen experience.
If Digital Chat Station is correct, however, Apple could be reusing some of the
iPhone 17 Pro molds, indicating that the
iPhone 18 Pro might look largely unchanged from the last generation. Supposedly, the large matrix ID design remains the same for another year, with the rumored under-display Face ID debuting on the iPhone 19 Pro.
But if it looks the same as the
iPhone 17 Pro, how will the next flagship distinguish itself? According to DCS, Apple will rely on internal changes to make the
iPhone 18 Pro compelling.
Hardware changes could make all the difference
The rumor suggests it could feature an A20 Pro chipset, which is reportedly being built on TSMC's 2nm (N2) process. According to some early leaks, the A20 Pro might utilize a Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) module for the first time.
This allows RAM to be directly integrated on the wafer with the Neutral Engine, GPU and CPU. Supposedly, this approach might deliver improved
Apple Intelligence performance and a better battery life. Digital Chat Station also suggests the upcoming Apple flagship could come with a 5k+ battery (though the tech giant never reveals battery capacity in mAh, using Wh instead), as well as a large-aperture camera. Large-aperture sensors deliver improved low-light photography and faster shutter speeds.
Same situation, different year
It's no secret that Apple doesn't usually rely on massive design overhauls for its smartphones, relying instead on incremental changes to make each lineup more 'refined' than the last. But what confuses me is why this is going on year after year. Adding the latest hardware is way more important than tweaking the design (at least for me), but I wouldn't say a fresh design is unwelcome.
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