20th anniversary iPhone could get the design we’ve all been waiting for
2027 will mark the original iPhone’s 20th anniversary, and Apple’s planning a major shake-up to its handset’s design that could finally see former design chief Jony Ive’s dream of a full-screen design come to life.
A new report from The Information claims that at least one 2027 iPhone Model will feature a “truly edge-to-edge display” to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the first iPhone, according to sources familiar with Apple’s plans.
To do this, Apple’s planning on tucking the front-facing camera underneath the screen. That way, the display can stretch the entire length of the device without any unsightly cutouts or bezels to break it up.
Before Apple goes all in on that all-screen dream, though, it’s planning to use the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max as a stepping stone of sorts. Each handset will ditch the current pill-shaped cutout at the top for a small pinhole in the top-left corner to house the front camera and Face ID, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told The Information.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman echoed as much back in March, when he claimed Apple plans to move some of the Dynamic Island hardware under the iPhone’s display to shrink the pill-shaped cutout even further.
If history serves, Apple saves its biggest design changes as a selling point for its higher-end phones. So don’t be surprised if this all-screen display is exclusive to the iPhone 19 Pro models come 2027.
2027 could be the year of iPhone’s all-screen dream
Ever since Apple introduced Face ID and the notch on the iPhone X, many people have been anxiously awaiting the day when we get a truly all-screen iPhone. Rumors have been circulating for a while about Apple’s plan for an under-display camera (UDC) and Face ID tech, dating all the way back to the iPhone 14 Pro.
While there had been rumors that the iPhone 16 Pro could be the first phone with under-display Face ID, other leaks claimed Apple was pushing that particular design shake-up back to 2026 at the earliest, which aligns with these latest claims.
That the selfie camera will be moving under the display as well is an interesting wrinkle. A few Chinese phone manufacturers have jumped on this emerging trend, albeit with limited success. Under-display cameras simply don’t stack up to modern hole-punch cameras, and few consumers are willing to settle for lower-quality photos just to have an uninterrupted display.
But 2027 is still a few years out, giving Apple ample time for the tech to catch up and smooth out all the kinks of under-display cameras. If these rumors pan out, that dream of an all-screen iPhone could be here before you know it.
