Apple is reportedly set to bring new metalens technology to the entire iPhone 17 lineup. This will allow the company to significantly reduce the size of the Face ID sensor, leading to a smaller Dynamic Island—the pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen.
The Dynamic Island first appeared in 2022 on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, replacing the notch and using less screen space. However, since then, the design has not changed much and has lost some of its initial appeal.
The metalens technology will improve this by shrinking the Face ID sensor, increasing the screen-to-body ratio on all iPhone 17 models.
Previously, this feature was expected only for the high-end iPhone 17 Pro Max. But analyst Jeff Pu, from GF Securities, says Apple will include metalens tech on all four iPhone 17 models, making it a standard feature.
Despite the smaller cutout, the Dynamic Island will keep its full functionality and can still resize depending on the app or activity.
In other news from Pu’s research, the base iPhone 17 will continue to use the older A18 chip from the iPhone 16 and come with 8GB RAM, while higher-end models will have upgrades.
Apple’s iPhone 17 series is expected to bring both design and performance improvements, with the metalens tech marking a notable step in screen design.
