iPhone Could Shorten Body to 18:9 Screen, Leaker Says

A Weibo leaker known as Instant Digital has outlined a proposal for a shorter iPhone body achieved by reducing screen height to an aspect ratio close to 18 to 9 while preserving on‑screen content through iOS layout changes. Instant Digital’s proposal is based on speculation and does not reflect an official Apple plan or timetable.

According to the leaker, the design keeps the device width unchanged but trims the display height by roughly the size of a status bar, taking the current ratio from about 19.5 to 9 down to near 18 to 9. The goal would be a handset that sits more comfortably in one hand and makes reaching the top of the screen easier while showing approximately the same amount of information.

Executing this idea depends on removing some of the current obstacles at the top of the display. Instant Digital suggests Apple could take the opportunity to shorten a nonfolding iPhone after it reaches a single-camera notch or moves the selfie camera fully under the display. Neither step is asserted as imminent; the leaker frames these hardware changes as prerequisites for the shorter body concept.

The proposed layout change does not simply cut content area. Controls that now sit below the status bar could be merged into the same row as the clock and system indicators. That integration would let a shorter screen present nearly the same visible information by combining two rows into one. The status bar here refers to the top row showing the clock, battery, and network indicators.

Such a change would require more than moving a few buttons. Apple would need to redesign how notifications, Live Activities, navigation controls and status indicators such as battery and network are displayed. App differences matter as well, because not every application uses the top area of the screen in the same way.

Apple’s iOS history shows the company has adjusted top-of-screen layouts to match hardware before. A smaller Dynamic Island in the iPhone 18 Pro supports up to three Live Activities simultaneously, while older models were limited to two. In the iPhone Duo, iOS places a compact status bar in the corner of the outer display and presents Dynamic Island vertically along the screen edge. These examples show system elements can move to suit device form factors.

There is no official confirmation that Apple will produce an iPhone with an aspect ratio near 18 to 9, and reports differ on when the notch will be removed. Still, tests of under-display camera technology, recent Dynamic Island changes and the iPhone Duo design indicate Apple continues to explore different ways to use the space at the top of the screen.