Apple is expected to finalize OLED panel approvals for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this month, with Samsung Display and LG Display likely to dominate panel supply, reports The Elec.


This year, China's BOE has reportedly been closed out of the premium tier supply chain, despite having landed some panel orders for the iPhone 17 Pro models.

The setback is said to be down to quality and yield issues with its lower-temperature polycrystalline oxide-plus (LTPO+) technology compared to its South Korean counterparts.

Indeed, it's the key upgrade at the center of the supply shake-up.

South Korean publication ETNews previously reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models will use LTPO+ display technology, which would likely be more power efficient than the current LTPO technology in the iPhone 17 series.

Such an upgrade could also contribute to longer battery life, since LPTO+ enables finer control of OLED light emission, potentially allowing the display to optimize its operation based on environmental conditions.

The ETNews report from January also mentioned that the iPhone 18 Pro models will use under-screen infrared technology from Samsung, which could enable some Face ID components to move under the display.

That could allow Apple to shrink the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro models -- but whether it will do is seemingly still up for debate. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro's LTPO+ Display Upgrade to Come From Samsung, LG" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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New alleged CAD renders of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro are doing the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the to-shrink-or-not-to-shrink Dynamic Island saga.


An X user called @earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro."

CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical schematics that phone manufacturers share with case makers and accessory companies months before a phone launches. Whether this particular one is kosher is unknown, since the leaker is relatively new to the scene and needs time to build a reputation.

The last notable image they shared was of an alleged iPhone 18 Pro prototype with a smaller Dynamic Island, and what appears to be a Face ID sensor visible under the display. Under-display Face ID components would allow for a slimmed down Dynamic Island.

Over the past year, there have been mixed rumors about whether the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will continue to feature a ‌Dynamic Island‌ or have a hole punch camera with under screen Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌, but the latest information suggests it's too early to say goodbye to the ‌Dynamic Island‌.

Along with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, several prominent leakers on Weibo and other social media sites have said Apple will make the iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island smaller, but won't eliminate it. We heard similar rumors about a smaller iPhone 17 Pro ‌Dynamic Island‌ last year, but it ended up being the same size.

Most of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ rumors about under-display Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌ circulated earlier in 2025, so Apple either considered the feature for the 18 Pro lineup and pushed it back, or those rumors were off-base. There also may have been confusion over what's moving under the display and what isn't.

More recently, Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claimed the iPhone 18 Pro won't have a smaller Dynamic Island at all, with the slimmed down Dynamic Island delayed until the iPhone 19.

We'll know for sure in a few months. Apple is expected to announce the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models alongside its first foldable iPhone this fall, with the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ arriving early next year as part of a new split-cycle launch strategy.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro CAD Leak Reignites the Dynamic Island Debate" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in the first quarter of 2026, capturing 6 percent of worldwide unit sales, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Global Handset Model Sales Tracker.


The iPhone 17 series dominated the top three spots, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max in second place and the iPhone 17 Pro in third. The previous-generation iPhone 16 also held on at sixth place, suggesting there's still strong demand for the model, following its blockbuster sales run throughout last year.

Counterpoint senior analyst Harshit Rastogi credited the iPhone 17's success to upgrades that brought the base model closer to the Pro variants, including higher 256GB base storage, improved cameras, and a faster 120Hz display refresh rate. Not only did the iPhone 17 post double-digit year-over-year growth in China and the U.S., it also tripled its sales in South Korea for the quarter.

Samsung's Galaxy A series filled the remaining five spots, led by the budget-friendly Galaxy A07 4G as the best-selling Android phone of the quarter. Xiaomi's Redmi A5 filled out the list in tenth place.


Taken together, the top 10 devices accounted for 25% of global smartphone sales -- the highest first-quarter concentration ever recorded, according to Counterpoint. In the meantime, the standard iPhone 17 is set to enjoy a six-month-longer flagship run than usual, with the iPhone 18 expected to see a launch in spring 2027.
This article, "iPhone 17 Outselling Every Other Phone Worldwide So Far This Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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