iPhone 18 Pro is the same size as the 17 Pro, right? That’s not quite the case

Will an iPhone 18 Pro fit in a case for an iPhone 17 Pro?

Even though the 18 Pro and 17 Pro phones have the same dimensions, there’s a barely perceptible physical difference: The camera bump on the iPhone 18 Pro/Max is about 0.5mm taller than on the iPhone 17 Pro/Max. That’s not an iPhone 18 Pro measurement that Apple tracks in its tech specs.

So while you’d expect that the iPhone 18 Pro can fit in a case made for the iPhone 17 Pro, some might fit a little too snugly or look a little off, much like if you put an iPhone 16 Pro in an iPhone 17 Pro case (which also kind of works). It varies by brand and case type.

In the course of our testing of new cases for the iPhone 18 Pro series, we found numerous case makers that list 17 Pro/18 Pro compatibility. When we reached out for clarification, leading case manufacturer OtterBox told Macworld that its iPhone 18 Pro/Max cases are “also compatible with iPhone 17 Pro, so the cases can be used interchangeably between those two models.”

Similarly, Decoded told us that all its iPhone 18 cases “are also compatible with the iPhone 17 models.” Mous acknowledged that while “the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max lineup has a taller camera bump, our iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cases will also fit” the 18, but noted that its new cases “are custom-built for each device to guarantee a perfect fit and protection”.

However, several case makers disagreed on the case compatibility between 17 and 18 iPhones. In particular, cases designed with tight tolerances might therefore have a problem with the 18’s taller camera bump.

For example, Rokform, which specializes in rugged cases, told Macworld that any iPhone 18 Pro case will be compatible with both iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro models. However, its older iPhone 17 Pro case lineup is not compatible with iPhone 18 models due to camera plateau design differences.