iPhone 18 Pro: Every iPhone since 2022 has carried the same pill-shaped cutout at the top of its screen. The iPhone 18 Pro leaks suggest that’s about to change, and it would mark the biggest shift to the iPhone’s front design since the Dynamic Island first replaced the notch.
Face ID moves under the screen
According to Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing under-display Face ID specifically for the Pro models this year. If accurate, this would be the first real redesign of the iPhone’s front camera housing since the Dynamic Island debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro. Rather than disappearing completely, a small punch-hole cutout would remain for the selfie camera itself, positioned slightly to the left rather than centred.
Crucially, this change is reported as Pro-exclusive. The standard iPhone 18 and the rumoured iPhone Air 2 are both expected to keep the familiar Dynamic Island, along with 120Hz LTPO OLED displays, at 6.3 inches and 6.55 inches respectively. The Pro models, by contrast, are said to be moving to slightly different screen sizes too, with reports pointing to a 6.27-inch iPhone 18 Pro and either a 6.86-inch or 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max, depending on the source.
The camera: a Pro Max exclusive this year
On the back, the biggest addition is a variable-aperture rear lens, letting the camera mechanically adjust how much light it lets in depending on the scene, aimed at improving low-light shots and giving users real control over depth of field. Multiple reports also point to a new three-layer stacked image sensor sourced from Samsung, designed for faster readout speeds and reduced noise, alongside a wider aperture telephoto lens for better zoomed-in low-light performance.
Apple is also reportedly considering swapping the current capacitive Camera Control button for a pressure-based mechanism, aimed at more reliable tactile feedback than the touch-sensitive version has offered.
Colours: a new Dark Cherry option leads the lineup
Macworld, citing a source familiar with Apple’s supply chain, has revealed the expected colour lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro: a new signature Dark Cherry finish, alongside Light Blue, Silver, and a dark gray option. Apple has introduced a new signature Pro colour nearly every year, and Dark Cherry looks set to be this year’s standout.
Battery: bigger, and reportedly built differently
A separate Weibo leak claims the iPhone 18 Pro will use a dual-cell battery design, combining a 1,921mAh cell with a 2,962mAh cell for a total capacity of at least 4,800mAh. If accurate, that would represent a genuine capacity increase, though as with most pre-launch battery leaks, exact figures have varied across different sources and should be treated as estimates rather than settled numbers.
The chip and connectivity
The Pro models are expected to run Apple’s first 2-nanometre chip, a manufacturing first for the company, expected to bring meaningful gains in both performance and power efficiency. Apple’s in-house C2 modem is also rumoured to expand to the Pro lineup this year, potentially bringing satellite-based 5G support beyond the emergency messaging features currently available.
The foldable iPhone is arriving alongside it, and Apple is scaling up fast
Perhaps the most significant iPhone news this year isn’t the Pro models at all. Apple’s first foldable iPhone, widely expected to be called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, is set to launch alongside the Pro lineup in September. Leaks describe a book-style folding design similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold or Google’s Pixel Fold, with a roughly 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner display, built around a titanium frame, at approximately 4.7mm thick when unfolded.
According to Nikkei, Apple has already instructed suppliers to prepare for foldable production of up to 10 million units this year, a notable increase over earlier internal forecasts, suggesting Apple is treating this as more than a niche, low-volume launch. The same Nikkei report indicates Apple plans to release at least five new iPhone models across the second half of 2026 and the first half of 2027, spreading its usual single autumn launch across two separate windows for the first time.
When to actually expect all this
Even the launch date itself remains contested among the most plugged-in Apple reporters. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has pointed to Apple’s usual pattern of holding its September keynote on the first Tuesday or Wednesday after Labor Day, which this year narrows things down to either September 8 or 9. The Pro models, the standard iPhone 18, and the foldable aren’t necessarily launching together either, current reporting suggests the Pro lineup and foldable arrive first in September, with the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 potentially following in the first half of 2027 instead.
None of this has been confirmed by Apple, and as always, the company doesn’t comment on unreleased hardware. The under-display Face ID claim specifically remains one of the more contested details, some reporting frames it as a lock for this generation, while other threads suggest it could still be pushed to next year’s model instead. Exact display sizes, final battery capacity, and the precise camera specifications are all likely to keep shifting as more leaks arrive between now and Apple’s eventual announcement.