Cupertino, California, April 13, 2026, 04:09 PDT
Apple may still be deciding whether the iPhone 18 Pro gets a smaller Dynamic Island, while a separate fresh leak points to a deep red finish for the premium handset expected later this year. Taken together, the latest reports suggest Apple is refining the front and color of the device rather than preparing a full design reset.
The timing matters. Apple is leaning harder on premium phones in 2026, with Reuters reporting in January that the company planned to prioritize its top-end iPhones and its first foldable model amid supply-chain constraints and rising memory costs. Apple has entered the year with momentum: Chief Executive Tim Cook told Reuters demand for the latest handsets was “staggering,” and Reuters reported on Friday that Apple led global smartphone shipments in the first quarter. Reuters
The main question is the front of the phone. The Dynamic Island — the pill-shaped cutout Apple uses for alerts, live activities and Face ID — could either stay close to the current design or shrink if some Face ID parts move under the display. Forbes, echoing the same supply-chain leak carried earlier by 9to5Mac, said Apple was in A/B testing, or weighing two versions, and 9to5Mac said earlier chatter had pointed to a cutout roughly 35% smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro’s.
That is a softer line than earlier reporting had implied. MacRumors said in December, citing The Information, that the iPhone 18 Pro models were expected to get under-screen Face ID and lose the pill-shaped cutout altogether, but more recent reports from MacRumors and 9to5Mac indicate Apple may still be deciding how far it wants to push the change ahead of a September launch window.
On the back, the latest leak points to less drama. 9to5Mac said the rectangular camera plateau should remain, with only minor material and design tweaks, while a Geeky Gadgets roundup published on Sunday, citing MacRumors, linked the Pro models to a variable-aperture 48-megapixel main camera — a feature that lets the lens admit more or less light — and an A20 Pro chip built on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process.
Color is the other new wrinkle. MacRumors reported on Monday that the Weibo account Digital Chat Station sees a high chance Apple is testing a deep red finish, after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in February that Apple was considering that shade for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The MacRumors report also said rival Android phone makers were prototyping similar colors, though it was unclear whether that reflected shared trend forecasting or plain imitation.
That would land in a market where even small visual changes can matter. Reuters said Apple’s global smartphone shipments grew 5% in the first quarter, giving it 21% share and putting it just ahead of Samsung’s 20%, while Xiaomi held third place at 13%. The broader market fell 6%, with Counterpoint analyst Shilpi Jain saying the drop was driven “primarily” by memory suppliers favoring AI data centers over consumer electronics. Reuters
There is still a clear downside case. Reuters reported last week that Nikkei Asia had flagged engineering snags around Apple’s first foldable iPhone that could delay shipments, even as Bloomberg said the foldable remained on track for a September unveiling alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. If that product slips and the Pro phones end up looking too close to last year’s models, the premium strategy would look less compelling.
Analysts are watching that closely. Gil Luria of D.A. Davidson said Apple needs “a compelling new iPhone offering” this year or iPhone sales could soften, while Evercore ISI’s Amit Daryanani said a foldable delay “would be surprising” based on his industry checks. For now, the latest iPhone 18 Pro leaks still point to a familiar Apple formula: modest hardware tweaks, one new signature color and open questions about how much design risk the company is willing to take. MarketWatch
