iPhone 18 Pro Body Thickness May Match iPhone 17 Pro, Raising Case Compatibility Hopes

June 5, 2026

The body thickness of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max was rumored to be slightly thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

However, a leaker has now shared a new prediction that the body thickness will remain unchanged.

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iPhone 18 Pro Body Thickness May Be Same as iPhone 17 Pro

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max were rumored to have a body thickness of 8.80mm, just 0.05mm thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max's 8.75mm.

But according to the latest information posted by leaker Ice universe on Chinese social media "Weibo," the iPhone 18 Pro Max will maintain a body thickness of 8.75mm.

If so, the iPhone 18 Pro may also retain the same 8.75mm thickness as the iPhone 17 Pro.

Unchanged Thickness May Affect Battery Capacity Increase Rate

The reason for the 0.05mm increase in body thickness for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max was thought to be to accommodate slightly thicker cells for increased battery capacity.

However, if the body thickness remains unchanged, that possibility becomes less likely.

The rumored battery capacity increase for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is up to 1.7%, which is smaller than recent iPhone battery capacity increases. This also suggests that the battery capacity increase may not be enough to warrant a thicker body.

Hope for Compatibility with iPhone 17 Pro Cases

If the body thickness is the same, it may be possible to use iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max cases on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Maintaining case compatibility would offer existing users the benefit of lower replacement costs.

Case Compatibility Maintained Between iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e

As an example of case compatibility, Bonaventura's Diary Case Nobile Leather Case is advertised as compatible with both the iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e.

The iPhone 17e supports MagSafe, but its external dimensions, including body thickness, are the same as the iPhone 16e, with only a 2-gram increase in weight.

The Diary Case Nobile Leather Case is priced at 19,800 yen (tax included), which is expensive. Therefore, maintaining case compatibility with the successor model helps reduce the burden of replacement.

Additionally, a search on Amazon reveals products from other brands besides Bonaventura that claim compatibility with multiple iPhone models.

Minimal Weight Increase?

Maintaining external dimensions and body thickness not only affects case compatibility but also user experience.

For example, MagSafe-compatible accessories and holders integrated with cases that rely on body thickness may remain usable. For users who do not use cases, the feel in hand may be similar, making the transition from the iPhone 17 Pro series less jarring.

Weight increase is also expected to be minimized.

Possible Incompatibility Due to Camera Bump Shape

However, even with the same body thickness, not all cases may maintain compatibility.

The body thickness discussed here for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max excludes the rear camera bump. The rear camera bump may increase in thickness due to the adoption of a variable aperture lens for the wide-angle camera.

Currently available cases for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max often have a large opening for the entire rear camera bump, with raised edges for protection.

Therefore, even if the camera bump becomes slightly thicker, such cases may maintain compatibility.

On the other hand, cases that only have openings for the rear camera lenses, LED flash, and LiDAR scanner (rather than the entire camera bump) may not accommodate changes in camera bump thickness or layout.

Photo: i冰宇宙（Ice universe）/Weibo, Bonaventura, NIMASO/Amazon, Apple Hub/Facebook