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20th Anniversary iPhone May Not Have All-Screen Design After All

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Apple has long been rumored to be planning a dramatic redesign for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, ever since Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported last May that the company is aiming for an all-glass device "without any cutouts in the display." But new comments from respected display industry analyst Ross Young appear to throw cold water on these claims.

Mostly-Screen-iPhone-Purple-Feature-2027.jpg

In a post on X (Twitter) yesterday, the former Counterpoint Research VP clarified remarks he made last June about Apple's display plans, saying he expects the smaller Dynamic Island rumored to be coming to iPhone 18 Pro models this fall to stick around through 2027.

In replies to follow-up questions, Young went further. The now-retired analyst said he still expects Apple's 2028 iPhone Pro models to feature a centered hole-punch cutout in the display – presumably housed within the same smaller Dynamic Island – rather than a true all-screen design. That timeline aligns with a roadmap he shared in June 2025, which predicted that a fully notch-free, truly all-screen iPhone wouldn't arrive until 2030.

If Young's predictions prove accurate, Gurman may need to revise his 20th-anniversary iPhone claims. Or perhaps not. One possibility is that Young's expectations are simply out of date. Supply chain timelines shift regularly, and Apple may have made more progress moving Face ID components and the front-facing selfie camera under the display than Young's sources indicate.

Alternatively, Apple could be developing a special 20th-anniversary model that sits above the iPhone Pro tier, similar to how the original iPhone X was unveiled at Apple's iPhone 8 launch in 2017 (Apple introduced its first Pro models with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max in September 2019). Such a device could debut the all-screen design Gurman has described, while the standard Pro models retain a smaller Dynamic Island.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this September. The 20th-anniversary iPhone – whatever form it takes – will presumably follow in fall 2027.

Article Link: 20th Anniversary iPhone May Not Have All-Screen Design After All
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/22/20th-anniversary-iphone-all-screen-design-in-doubt/
Of course it won’t it will take Apple another five years when they do a design change. It’s at least three years so we have a damn cut out for nearly a decade.
 
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Zeus2018 said:
Unbelievableif true, they really don’t have the job Spirit anymore..
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Niether do the customers.

The Air vs Pro was essentially a referendum on design vs utility. The Air is the best looking iPhone since the 4 and actually has very few compromises but clearly doesnt have the staying power or the camera suite of the Pro. People have voted with their wallets so going forward we are likely to see a continuation of tank-like Pro models and a regular line of hand-me-downs.

Its also just a phone. It normally sits in a pocket or a case and is a means to an end. Its entire aesthetic is an empty shell for the software really and we already had that big redesign. I imagine the 20th Anniversary model will do something cool rather than look cool.

Honestly the best thing they could do would be to take the silver iPhone 17 Pro, curve the sides more and change the colours of the back plate and side buttons to black to ape the look of the iPhone 1.
 
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Until we get some serious improvements to materials, I think we have pretty much peaked in smartphone form factor. I remember growing up basically every scifi described exactly what we have now. A handheld device with a bunch of sensors and communicators and a display that can do universal translation. That's basically what we have now. Until we get holograms or truly rollable glass/metal, I don't know what else we can do here.

All glass phone seems like a solution looking for a problem. Kind of like Liquid Glass and a couple other things Apple has done lately, so we'll see what happens. I wouldn't put it past them even though we already tried this ten years ago and nobody liked it.
 
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Mitthrawnuruodo said:
All-Screen Design = Nowhere to hold it

Why would you want that...?
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turbineseaplane said:
Other than "looking futuristic", what exactly is an "all screen" design solving?
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all screen = everywhere to hold it.

why have we had overlapping windows on our computers for literally 4 decades? it blocks the view of what is underneath! how terrible. we should not have overlapping windows.

same idea. more screen space means more that can be displayed. if you dont want to use it all, thats your call, if you do, also your call. more control over your device.

MR readers, "we want innovation, just don't change anything!"
 
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The most amazing thing about that rumor is that anyone ever believed it. Like if Apple was to build that phone they would either have to use the rear camera for FaceID or use TouchID on the rear of the phone while having no selfie cam unless they used a compromised under the display camera. I had a phone that had an under display front cam and it wasn’t great. Next, Samsung had the curved screens long ago and they were more problematic than anything (other than looking cool when the phones were caseless).
 
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