Bloomberg It was suggested last month that Apple was working on a 20th anniversary iPhone, which could mark the culmination of the company’s long-term ambition to create a “single pane of glass.”
Few details have been reported so far, but a new supply chain report claims it will be completely bezel-less, using display technology developed by Samsung and LG.
20th anniversary of the iPhone
Mark Gurman first announced his plans for the 2027 device, which will be unveiled two decades after the original iPhone’s launch. It wasn’t exactly a detailed report, featuring One sentence.
The company is preparing to make big changes for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary, including a foldable version and a bold new Pro model that makes more use of glass.
The phrase “more extensive use of glass” is as vague as can be. But calling it a “bold” new model suggests something more ambitious than just slimmer bezels.
Completely bezel-less design
Korean website ET News Reports today suggest that Apple’s suppliers are working on a “four-side curved display technology,” which appears to describe a design in which the glass curves around the sides on all four sides, completely removing all bezels from the front of the phone.
The bezels have been effectively moved to the sides of the device, being invisible from the front. The report also mentions a camera located under the display, which would eliminate the need for a punch-hole cutout in the display.
It is known that Apple will begin negotiations for the 20th anniversary offering of the iPhone soon. We will hold a meeting with Samsung Display and LG Display to determine the application technology (…)
Four-sided curved display technology is currently being developed, so it’s worth noting if it will finally be commercialized (…) UDC is to hide the camera under the screen, and four-sided curved is to implement a full frameless display.
And all of this already seems to fit in with the “single pane of glass” ambition described by former design chief Jony Ive. And while I may now be part of Apple’s history, this vision for its future is believed to still be alive within the company.
Solid state battery
The report also mentions a solid-state battery.
Pure silicon battery is a technology that can significantly increase energy density and increase battery life by using 100% silicon instead of graphite as the cathode material.
Battery technology is one of those areas where we constantly hear promises of advanced technology that will dramatically increase battery life – but it never seems to materialize. However, solid-state batteries seem to have finally changed that.
Prototypes were developed in 2017, and the technology finally arrived this year. My colleague Fernando Silva tested the MagSafe solid-state battery pack last week, and was impressed. So the idea of integrating this technology into an iPhone in 2027 is certainly quite plausible.
Take 9to5Mac
The original Bloomberg The report was very vague, relying primarily on the word “bold” to refer to something that goes far beyond the modest evolutionary changes we have seen in recent years.
The 20th anniversary angle also creates expectations for something special. Although Apple doesn’t typically hold a large number of product anniversaries — stating that the company prefers to look forward rather than to the past — it may or may not be a coincidence that 2017 saw an entirely new design language in the form of the iPhone
There’s no doubt that smartphone technology in general has stabilized, and that this is a problem for Apple. With only modest new developments each year, many people are taking the position that they may stick with their old model for a while yet.
As my colleague Ryan Christofel pointed out last month, the end of this “boring era” appears to be in sight. If reports are accurate, we can look forward to the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air this year and the iPhone Fold next year. A new “bold” design in 2027 would continue this trend, so the idea is at least plausible.
However, it is worth noting ET News The report only notes that Apple’s major display suppliers are “developing” the technology to make a single glass vision panel possible. Whether it will actually exist by 2027 is another question entirely.
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