Images of third-party clear cases for the iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max suggest there is a chance Apple may revert back to a more familiar MagSafe ring design, and away from the controversial opaque white panel introduced on last year's iPhone 17 Pro cases.

The images have been circulating on Chinese social media and were spotted by MyDrivers. Where the iPhone 17 Pro clear case drew considerable criticism for replacing the traditional circular ‌MagSafe‌ magnet array with a large opaque white rectangle that covered most of the case's back panel, the cases shown here return to a more open horseshoe or ring-style ‌MagSafe‌ design, leaving the majority of the case genuinely transparent.

If the design is an accurate reflection of Apple's first-party case plans, it would represent a meaningful course correction from a design that many buyers felt made Apple's own "clear" case a misnomer. Accessory manufacturers commonly produce cases ahead of Apple announcements using anticipated details sourced from the supply chain.

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Clear Case

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Clear Case redesign proved to be highly polarizing at launch. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s Apple logo shifted to a lower position on the rear panel to sit centered within the new rectangular glass section below the camera plateau. As reported ahead of the device's launch, that placement would have been obscured by the traditional circular ‌MagSafe‌ design, prompting Apple to replace the ring entirely with a large opaque white rounded rectangle bearing a centered Apple logo. The result covered most of the lower three-quarters of the case, and forum discussions and reviews described the white panel as a "deal breaker" for some buyers who wanted to show off the color of their phone.

The open horseshoe design suggested by the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ cases takes a different approach seen on some other third-party cases, with a break in the ring at the bottom allowing the Apple logo to remain visible through the case without requiring the large opaque panel. The third-party cases shown in the images are clearly trying to emulate Apple's first-party accessories, and given the negative reaction to Apple's clear cases last year, it wouldn't be surprising if the company opted to move to this design.

Beyond this detail, the replica cases reflect design details consistent with existing rumors about the new models. The standard ‌iPhone 18‌ case features a cutout suggesting a vertical dual-camera layout, in line with reports that the base model will retain a broadly similar rear design to its predecessor. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max cases both show large horizontal camera plateau cutouts consistent with the design established on the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be announced alongside the first foldable iPhone in the fall. The ‌iPhone 18‌ is likely set to follow in the spring with the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2.