A late‑breaking rumor says Apple has honed down the hardware powering the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 Pro, where we’d already seen the bloke‑tastic pill‑shaped cutout shrink (apparently visibly), with Tom’s Guide tipping this change. The chirping, coming from the screen‑protector supply chain, gives a hint of a more compact system for the front camera and Face ID sensor array in order to take back a little more display real estate.
It is code-named Diat: The visible opening is reported to taper off to about 1.5cm across, from 2cm on Pro models in recent years, based on source measurements shared in accessory channels. If correct, it would be nearly a 25 percent reduction in width — enough to notice in full‑screen video, games, and status bar layout.
However, we have thin provenance for the claim (and the fact it’s protectors and not actual OLED cutouts means tolerance comparison may be kinda hard).. Here’s what the rumor might entail — and why it is plausible, but by no means assured.
What the new leak says, and what it actually claims
The report cites a new front layout that reduces the “distance and optics in the Face ID stack and selfie camera, leading to a smaller cutout on the iPhone 17 Pro.” The tooling that accessory makers are designing is typically set based on final dimension, as brand new products often arrive soon before launch, which is why this sort of detail may not appear until late in the cycle.
Two caveats apply: Screen protectors often indicate the size of the black mask “window,” rather than the sensor apertures underneath the mask, and cutouts may be excessive to minimize interference. Small millimeter‑level differences get rounded as well when being described. Long story short, the magnitude of the reduction could be real, but the numbers themselves may not map directly to panel hardware.
Why a smaller Dynamic Island might make sense
Analysts have been hinting that Apple planned to shrink the Dynamic Island for numerous generations. Haitong International’s Jeff Pu talked about a slimmer Face ID footprint on the higher‑end models, meanwhile supply chain reports inside Korea have begun to signal that “Metalens” components (a new type of ultra‑thin, metasurface optical material that could revolutionize the camera and make it as thin as a sheet of paper in 10 years’ time) were coming to Apple’s roadmap, beginning with proximity sensors and eventually Face ID as well.
Industry famous supply chain researcher, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants, has separately outlined Apple’s journey to under‑panel Face ID, highlighting industry challenges such as brightness loss, polarization and diffraction management. A slight reduction from today’s pill is a reasonable interim step: combine the dot projector, IR illuminator, camera, reduce the stack height and inch toward a future when most of that system is invisibly tucked away behind the screen.
There are also precedents for year-over-year hardware circling more tightly around the display. They’ve been whittling down bezels for years using more advanced low‑bezel routing (BRS) methodologies and re‑packaging sensors to pick up tiny, but significant, wins. Trimming the Island takes a page from the same playbook.
What users would lose with a smaller cutout
Tiny millimeters make a real difference, even just a few. A pill that’s tighter means less intrusion when you’re watching a full‑screen video or playing a game, and a little more breathing room for your status bar indicators. Live Activities, Now Playing, and turn‑by‑turn directions within the Dynamic Island might have some slightly tidier animations or different spacing if Apple tweaks the UI to fit.
While devs who expose glanceable info via Live Activities may not realize an API‑level change, tighter hardware tends to inspire subtle interface updates to maintain legibility. And you can bet Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines will stress adaptive layouts, such as supporting titles, waveforms, and progress bars that suitably adjust themselves to the new geometry.
How it aligns with Apple’s display roadmap
The rumored tweak falls in line with a longer transition toward under‑panel sensors. DSCC estimated that entirely concealed Face ID and cameras systems remain gated by panel transmissivity and lifetime issues, particularly at the pixel densities Apple is aiming for. Until those walls crumble, we’re better off taking gradual steps to lower the cutout we can see – more immersion for Apple, as Apple gets to validate next‑gen optics and OLED architectures.
Asia component ecosystem reports, too, have hinted at a staggered adoption: Start with the Pro models, then filter down as yields and costs settle down. That’s a pattern that is consistent with the historical rollouts of ProMotion, the periscope telephoto, and advanced display stacks from Apple.
Proceed with healthy skepticism
Accessory leaks tend to be directionally correct but off on the nitty-gritty. Recent whispers have been split on timing with some research notes indicating a smaller Dynamic Island could be on the cards across the iPhone 17 family while other have pushed the change to the cycle after next. And remember the 1.5 cm figure is a tentative one; until we havesome corroboration or analysts or component trackers that keep moving, don’t golivelihood on it.
Still, the general story fits with where Apple appears to be going: less visible hardware, more screen free of distractions and a Dynamic Island that just keeps contracting until it’s gone. Exactly whether that begins with iPhone 17 Pro or takes a generation longer is something we can figure out if not count on the specific millimeters for.