Apple’s all-screen iPhone dream may be getting closer… but the front camera is still standing in the way.
The tech giant is reportedly testing an iPhone 19 Pro prototype with a quad-curved OLED display, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, per MacRumors. The device is said to hide Face ID beneath the display while keeping a visible hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.
Reports suggest Apple has been working toward under-display technology for years, but the front camera remains the biggest technical challenge. While Face ID is said to be closer to full concealment, the selfie camera is proving harder to integrate without degrading image quality.
If the rumor is accurate, the prototype suggests Apple is still pursuing a “pure glass” iPhone design ahead of the device’s expected 20th-anniversary cycle in 2027. The bigger question: Can Apple make that design feel new twice?
The 20th anniversary iPhone factor
Much of the attention surrounding the iPhone 19 Pro prototype stems from its possible connection to Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone expected in 2027.
Earlier reports have suggested that Apple’s anniversary model could feature a completely uninterrupted display with no cutouts at all. That has created a design question: if the iPhone 19 Pro already adopts a quad-curved display, how would Apple make the anniversary model feel different?
One widely discussed possibility is a split approach in which the iPhone 19 Pro includes a hole-punch camera, while the anniversary model removes all visible cutouts.
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Apple’s design strategy in question
According to multiple reports, Apple may be weighing how far to push the same display technology across its lineup.
If quad-curved panels appear on both the iPhone 19 Pro and iPhone 19 Pro Max, it could blur the line between those devices and the higher-end 20th anniversary model. Some analysts suggest Apple could instead reserve the most advanced version, fully uninterrupted screen technology, for the anniversary device to maintain a clear tier distinction.
The idea of quad-curved displays is not new. Similar designs were seen on some Android flagships before the industry shifted toward flat screens, a trend largely influenced by Apple’s recent design direction.
Now, Apple appears to be reconsidering curved-edge aesthetics as it explores more immersive OLED designs.
For now, the reported prototype points less to a finished product than to a design problem Apple still has to solve. If the company wants the anniversary iPhone to feel meaningfully different, the real milestone may not be curved glass. It may be making the camera disappear without degrading the photos.
Also read: Apple’s Siri could get a Grammarly-like AI writing tool at WWDC as Apple works to close its AI feature gap.
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