Apple could release a “mostly glass, curved iPhone” in 2027. What the heck does that even mean?
Apple is rumored to redesign the iPhone in time for its 20th anniversary, and it should have a curved appearance made mostly from glass.
Mark Gurman writes in his PowerOn newsletter on Bloomberg that the Cupertino tech giant could release a “mostly glass, curved iPhone” in late 2027. The original iPhone debuted in 2007, so 2027 would mark the handset’s 20th anniversary.
The device should have a true fullscreen design “without any cutouts in the display” save for a tiny hole in the display for a selfie camera. All of the other components and Face ID sensors housed in the cutout at the top of the OLED panel should be relocated underneath the display, giving the device a true fullscreen appearance.
20th anniversary iPhone may be curved
“Later in the year, a mostly glass, curved iPhone — without any cutouts in the display — is due to hit,“ Gurman wrote. “That will mark the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone X, which kicked off the transition to all-screen, glass-focused iPhone designs.”
A week earlier, The Information reported that at least one 2027 iPhone model “will place the front-facing camera underneath the screen to enable a truly edge-to-edge display. The Elec said in 2024 that Apple wants to create a bezel-less iPhone.
Apple was rumored before to have been working on a curved-glass iPhone, and even bought expensive glass-cutting machines. Eventually, Apple found production prohibitively expensive. One of the older patent filings from Apple outlines a curved iPhone, featuring glass that “forms a continuous loop” around the device.
Just don’t copy Galaxy Edge, please
A curved, mostly glass appearance and an edge-to-edge screen all sound like the 20th anniversary iPhone would curve the display down the side of the phone. On the other hand, that would make it an obvious rip-off of Samsung’s Galaxy Edge design.
I’m not sure what “mostly glass” even means. My iPhone 16 Pro has glass cover on both the front and the back, with only a titanium frame sandwiched between two pieces of glass. If my memory serves me well, Apple’s first “mostly glass” iPhone is the iPhone 4, released in 2010. The subsequent iPhone 4s model also had the front and rear glass.
The glass back returned for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in 2017, remaining present on all subsequent models, including the iPhone 16 lineup. While rear glass on the iPhone 4/4s serves no other purpose but aesthetic design, rear glass on the iPhone X and later is primarily used to enable wireless charging.
Apple altered the interior design of the iPhone 14 lineup, and especially the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, to made rear glass replacement easier.
Other tidbits from the newsletter
Gurman’s newsletter includes other interesting tidbits, with the author learning about Apple’s plan for “a monumental year” for new devices in 2027. At the same time, he cautioned, “its current lack of breakthrough designs could make that wait feel interminable.” It’s no secret that Apple’s current designs are becoming stale and, but Gurman warns that iterative product updates don’t help its innovation engine, which has slowed down in recent years.
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