iPhone 18 leaks about Dynamic Island redesign may have been the result of mistranslation

With Apple's big September iPhone event just 8 months away, rumors have been swirling about what Apple has in store for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. In the past few days, Apple fans have been talking about one leak in particular, which suggested big changes were coming to the controversial Dynamic Island.

Specifically, rumor had it that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max would feature an under-display Face ID that would eliminate the need for the pill-shaped Dynamic Island, with the selfie camera housed in a smaller "hole-punch" cutout.

However, it now appears that those leaks were lost in translation. 

Instant Digital, a leaker on the China-based social media app Weibo, explained that the leak from last week (from another Weibo-based leaker known as Digital Chat Station) was mistranslated when Western outlets reported on the news.

Instant Digital claims that while Apple is relocating an infrared Face ID component under the display, this would not affect the overall design of the display itself.

It seems early reports from Chinese and Korean sources about the Face ID components were somehow mistranslated in some English-language coverage as a front hole-punch camera on the left side of the device.

As MacRumors points out, another Apple leaker on X known as ShrimpApplePro has also corroborated Instant Digital's explanation by leaking an alleged photo of the new Face ID and selfie camera assembly.

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In short, reports of the Dynamic Island's death have been greatly exaggerated. It seems that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will still have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island after all, even if it is slightly smaller in the new generation.