Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 3 hrs ago
Leaker suggests future iPhone could be shorter with a redesigned iOS layout
A leaker has proposed a shorter future iPhone that keeps its current width and rearranges some iOS controls.
The idea comes from Instant Digital, who shared it on Weibo as personal speculation.
The phone could lose about the height of the status bar if its front camera moves under the display or the screen has a smaller cutout.
Moving controls beside the time could preserve space for content on the shorter screen.
Apple has already adapted iOS for different screen layouts, including the smaller Dynamic Island on iPhone 18 Pro and the outer display of iPhone Duo.
When Apple might remove the camera cutout remains unclear, and analysts and leakers disagree about whether it could happen in 2028.
Instant Digital also expects major iOS changes after the 20th-anniversary iPhone launches in 2027, but Apple has not confirmed those plans.
Weibo leaker Instant Digital has speculated that a future iPhone could be shorter while keeping its current width.
The proposed design would move some controls into the status bar so the screen could show the same amount of information.
The leaker suggested the change could follow a move to a single camera cutout or an under-display front camera.
The idea is personal speculation, and the timing of an iPhone without a camera cutout remains uncertain.
- Who
- Weibo leaker Instant Digital shared the idea.
- What
- The leaker suggested a shorter iPhone with a redesigned iOS layout.
- When
- No release date is stated. The leaker said some sources expect the camera cutout could disappear in 2028.
- Where
- The speculation was shared on Weibo.
- Why
- A shorter phone could be easier to hold and use with one hand, while combining rows of controls could preserve the amount of information shown.
Instant Digital
Ross Young
Aspect
Instant Digital
Instant Digital said some sources expect the camera cutout could disappear in 2028.
Ross Young
Ross Young expects the 2028 iPhone Pro models to retain a centered camera cutout.
Apple removed the Home button on the iPhone X, and iOS 11 introduced swipe-up navigation.
The iPhone’s 20th-anniversary model is expected to launch.
Instant Digital said some sources expect the camera cutout could disappear, while Ross Young expects the iPhone Pro models to retain a centered cutout.
- Leaker
- Instant Digital
- Proposed aspect ratio
- From around 19.5:9 to closer to 18:9
- Possible cutout-free year
- 2028
- Anniversary iPhone year
- 2027