iPhone 18 pro’s dynamic island shrinks, but does a lot more

It's official, and yes, it shrank.

By Rachit Agarwal Published September 9, 2026

smaller dynamic island — Apple

Apple just took the stage at its ongoing event, and the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are official. One of the first things everyone noticed was the redesigned Dynamic Island, and yes, it is smaller.

Apple hasn’t shared the exact size reduction yet, but you don’t need official numbers to notice it. The pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display looks visibly tighter than what we have seen on the iPhone 17 Pro.

A tighter island with room for more

The Dynamic Island has used the same layout since it launched on the iPhone 14 Pro back in 2022, showing up to two Live Activities at a time. A smaller island on the iPhone 18 Pro gives it more room to track things like your flight on Flighty, your route on Maps, or a running timer, without one activity getting bumped for another.

Dynamic Island
Smaller.
But more versatile. #Apple pic.twitter.com/zgJUCa4GaO
— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) September 9, 2026

Previously, the Dynamic Island only showed two live activities. But with its smaller size, it can now show three activities simultaneously.

What it means for you

We will update this space with exact measurements and full details as Apple shares more. For now, the takeaway is simple: the Dynamic Island got smaller, and it got more useful in the process.

Rachit is a seasoned tech journalist with over ten years of experience covering the consumer technology landscape.

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