Apple was reportedly considering one of these two looks for the Dynamic Island. Image credit-MacRumors
One of the alternatives to the Dynamic Island would have placed a vertical screen on the right side of the display that showed some of the icons normally found on the status bar in the upper right of the screen. This displayed the time, cellular signal strength (the infamous bars), Wi-Fi indicator, display brightness, volume, and the battery life indicator. When this screen was not in use, it would not appear.
Alternate capabilities for the Dynamic Island
Another possibility, and one I actually do like, hid the notch in a large black status bar at the top of the screen. The time is displayed on the left side with the status bar icons on the right. Since the phone features an OLED panel, creating the color black on the screen requires the appropriate pixels to be turned off which would also lead to improved battery life.
Big changes are coming to the iPhone 17 Pro line
When Apple created the Dynamic Island, it originally covered the top of the screen almost covering the entire width of the display. But Apple decided that it was better to have the Dynamic Island change size if necessary. The company also considered other capabilities for the Dynamic Island, including one that showed the volume of the phone, another that displayed a row of system shortcuts, and another that used a never-seen before layout for phone calls in progress.
