A Weibo leaker known as “Instant Digital” has floated a new idea for future iPhones: keep them just as wide, but make them shorter by reclaiming space near the status bar. With display cutouts shrinking—or potentially going away as under-screen camera tech advances—Apple could merge some iOS controls into the status bar itself, allowing a display trimmed from the top to go from about a 19.5:9 ratio closer to 18:9. The change could make iPhones easier to handle, especially one-handed. However, this is a speculative concept rather than a confirmed roadmap.
What’s fuelling the rumor
The suggestion builds on recent design shifts in Apple’s lineup. The iPhone 18 Pro has made its Dynamic Island smaller and added support for three Live Activities, up from two. The iPhone Duo meanwhile rearranged its Dynamic Island to be vertical along the side of the outer screen, squeezing the status bar into a corner. These moves reflect Apple experimenting with how much UI real estate it can recover by rethinking status bar and camera module placement. Under-display Face ID and front-facing camera technology is already being tested, along with intermediate designs that still retain visible cutouts. Whether these are full under-screen implementations remains unsettled. display analyst Ross Young expects 2028 iPhone Pro models to still have a centered camera cutout for now. Instant Digital says the cutout may be removed in 2028, though many others are skeptical.
Beyond shrinking the cutout: what else is expected
Instant Digital also envisions broader changes tied to Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone, due in 2027. Sources say that the redesign won’t just be cosmetic, but will reshape how users interact with iOS. Upgrades may include the display’s curvature, thinner bezels, and perhaps display-first innovations that shift status and system elements into the topmost area of the screen. Meanwhile, testing is already underway for under-display sensors—particularly Face ID—which may reduce visible cutouts without immediately removing them.
This shorter-iPhone concept builds on shifts already visible in the iPhone 18 Pro and Duo display treatment, tucked status icons, and new camera placements. It depends heavily on under-display tech maturing, but could redefine what flagship Apple design looks like by 2028.
What this means moving forward: Apple appears to be nudging its largest design change since the removal of the notch. If Instant Digital’s vision comes to fruition, future iPhones could be more compact yet deliver the same content area by combining the status bar with system controls. Key watch-outs include how well under-screen sensors perform in low light, whether UI changes feel natural, and if the shorter aspect ratio is a step forward or a potential compromise in media viewing and app compatibility. Apple’s anniversary models, often showing the company’s most ambitious ideas, may offer the first real proof whether this concept is just a thought experiment—or the next standard for iPhone dimensions.
