The iPhone 18 Pro family is still months away, but a wave of detailed leaks suggests Apple is preparing its boldest visual rethink in years just as the devices move into early sample builds. Between a cleaner front face, under-display biometrics and a more aggressive split between premium and mainstream models, the next Pro generation is shaping up as a test of how far Apple can push design without alienating loyal users. I see a company trying to reset expectations for what a high-end iPhone looks like while quietly reshaping its entire release strategy around it.
Behind the eye-catching rumors is a more methodical story of engineering milestones and production planning. Reporters say the iPhone 18 series and the iPhone Air 2 are already in sample production and testing as of the start of the year, a sign that Apple is locking in hardware decisions far earlier than usual to support a more complex launch roadmap. That early progress gives extra weight to the latest design leaks, because at this stage, radical ideas are less likely to be throwaway experiments and more likely to be baked into the final Pro hardware.
The clean-front gamble: under-screen Face ID and shrinking Dynamic Island
The most dramatic change on the table is a front face that finally sheds the familiar cutout that has defined modern iPhones since the notch arrived. Multiple reports point to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max adopting a redesigned under-display Face ID system, hiding the TrueDepth sensor array beneath the OLED so the usable screen stretches closer to the frame. One detailed leak breaks out new display sizes for the Pro models and explicitly ties them to under-screen Face ID, suggesting Apple is ready to move beyond the current Dynamic Island hardware on its most expensive phones and reserve that visible pill for cheaper devices.
Even with the TrueDepth sensor cutouts buried under the panel, the software behavior may not change as radically as the hardware. One analysis notes that even if the sensor stack is invisible, the Dynamic Island could still appear in software at least some of the time, preserving the glanceable alerts and live activity indicators that users have grown used to. That would let Apple claim a cleaner, more immersive display on the Pro line while keeping the familiar interaction model intact, a balance that fits the company’s pattern of easing customers into big interface shifts rather than forcing them to relearn everything overnight.
Sample builds and a split launch reshape Apple’s playbook
What makes these design rumors harder to dismiss is how far along the hardware appears to be. Reporters say the iPhone 18 series and the iPhone Air 2 are already in sample production and testing as of January 1, with Key Points indicating that the Air 2 is tracking for a March 2027 window. That kind of early validation run, often referred to as a sample build, usually means the industrial design is close to locked, so a radical front overhaul is unlikely to be a last-minute experiment. It also hints at a broader portfolio that stretches beyond the traditional four-model fall lineup, with the Air positioned as a follow-up to the current midrange tier.
At the same time, Apple is reportedly preparing one of its biggest strategic shifts in years by splitting the launch of the upcoming iPhone 18 series into two phases, with Apple expected to stagger releases across 2026 and 2027. A separate leak on social media reinforces that Apple is reportedly shifting to a multi-release iPhone cycle starting next year, with iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and 18e arriving in Q1 2027 according to Apple. For buyers, that means the most advanced Pro hardware could land on a different cadence from mainstream models, and for Apple, it offers a way to smooth supply chain peaks while keeping the spotlight on its highest-margin devices.
Display tech: LTPO everywhere and Pro-only visual perks
Beyond the front cutout, the display stack itself looks set for a meaningful upgrade across the board. A new leak claims the iPhone 18 family will standardise on LTPO 120Hz panels across models, with LTPO technology finally reaching non-Pro variants that have so far been stuck at 60Hz. That shift would bring smoother scrolling and more efficient always-on behavior to the entire lineup, closing one of the most visible gaps between base and Pro devices and aligning Apple with Android rivals that already offer high refresh rates across price tiers.
On the Pro side, Apple is reportedly planning a big upgrade for the iPhone 18 Pro display, with tipster Digital Chat Station sharing that the company is working on major Dynamic Island surprises and a refined panel for the premium models. The same reporting notes that Apple brought a significant design change with the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro series and now expects the iPhone Air 2 series to retain Dynamic Island, according to Apple. That split would leave the Pro phones with a cleaner, more futuristic look while the Air and likely standard iPhone 18 models continue to lean on the existing cutout as a visual differentiator and cost-saving measure.
Design evolution or revolution? Conflicting signals on the chassis
For all the attention on the front, the rest of the hardware may be more conservative than the “wild overhaul” framing suggests. One detailed report argues that the iPhone 18 design will not change much apart from the Dynamic Island, with claims of under-display Face ID fitting with repeated reports from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and earlier hints from leaker Digita that the chassis itself would stay familiar. That analysis, which explicitly references Ming and Previous leaker Digita, suggests that while the front glass may look radically cleaner, the frame, button layout and overall silhouette could feel like an evolution of the current Pro generation rather than a ground-up rethink.
Other voices, however, frame the shift as the biggest design change in nearly a decade as the iPhone 18 Pro models enter sample production, with one leak credited to Richard Priday describing the move to under-screen biometrics as a fundamental break from the notch-and-island era. Another analysis cautions that there have been many reports of significant updates to the iPhone 18 Pro, though most expect that the differences will be internal and that the external design is not as large a shift as everyone thought, a perspective captured in a piece that opens with the word There. Taken together, the reporting points to a phone that may look dramatically different at a glance because of the uninterrupted screen, even if the metal and glass shell remains reassuringly familiar in the hand.
Pro power, cameras and the broader iPhone 18 family
Under the hood, the iPhone 18 Pro line is expected to lean heavily on new silicon and camera upgrades to justify its premium positioning. One report says iPhone 18 Pro models are widely expected to use an A20 Pro chip fabricated with TSMC’s latest 2nm process, with TSMC providing the manufacturing muscle and Apple reportedly planning to reserve some of that performance headroom for exclusive Pro features. A separate overview of the lineup notes that iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro specs are expected to revolve around an A20 chip with better power efficiency and lower latency, according to Pro and Pro Max coverage, reinforcing the idea that Apple will use silicon as a key differentiator.
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