(Image credit: Apple)

We've only just seen the launch of the iPhone 17 family, and now there's already a rumour about its successor. The iPhone 18 range isn't expected to launch until around this time next year, but already we may have more information about the handset.

The latest report comes from Instant Digital on Weibo. That's a leaker who has had a serious of Apple reports prove true ahead of this event.

According to the latest post, the iPhone 18 series will make use of a smaller pill-shaped notch for the Dynamic Island. That should be a welcome change, with less of the display removed to make way for the front-facing camera.

The report goes on to confirm that the device doesn't have a single camera, and doesn't have under-screen Face ID or and under-screen camera. Instead, it sounds like the brand is simply condensing the real estate required to house all of the usual gubbins. Neat.

(Image credit: Apple)

That will certainly be a welcome change for many. The constant battle to pare down the space required for a selfie camera without compromising on quality has been fought for a few years now.

It's also coming after one of the most significant upgrades the iPhone selfie camera has ever received. The new Centre Stage camera is a revelation, and offers a unique way of capturing front-facing content, with a square sensor which can switch seamlessly between portrait and landscape orientation without having to move your grip.

That's likely to place some additional focus on that area of the device moving forward. It makes sense, then, that the brand would opt to streamline it.

Of course, there is one caveat – with the expected launch date so far in the future, anything can change. Tech moves fast and a year in the phone lifecycle is like a decade in real time, so we'd wager that any rumours this early are just that – rumour.