Apple is planning a radical, all-screen iPhone for its 20th anniversary… but the device may arrive without the very feature meant to define it.
The device, expected to launch in 2027, will mark the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone’s debut. It’s expected to bring a major design shift for Apple, moving to an all-screen iPhone with no visible sensors or cutouts. That would mean placing both the front-facing camera and Face ID system beneath the display.
However, conflicting leaks from a popular Apple leaker now suggest Apple could ship the device with a smaller cutout instead, as challenges around under-display technology continue.
A bit of history…
In January 2007, Steve Jobs took the stage in his trademark black shirt to introduce a technology that would change the world: the iPhone.
Since then, several iPhones have followed it, with more improvements, and more importantly, a similar body design. Up until the iPhone X, which ushered in the era of Face ID and featured a U-shaped cutout called the notch, iPhones used a home button.
Eventually, the iPhone 14 series, specifically the 14 Pro and later, introduced the Dynamic Island cutout, which has been continually shrinking.
With four iPhone series released featuring a Dynamic Island cutout, MacRumors noted that Apple may be planning to take a significant leap again in the iPhone’s body design. That design change is expected to eliminate the Dynamic Island cutout and replace it with an under-display camera and Face ID sensor module.
If this comes to fruition, it will be Apple’s biggest redesign in a long while, potentially bigger than that of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models.
Potential challenges
According to MacRumors, Apple may not be as close to an all-screen iPhone as hoped. Prominent leaker Fixed Focus Digital suggests the feature is still years away, echoing display analyst Ross Young’s January report that the Dynamic Island could remain in place through the 2027 lineup.
Young noted that the Dynamic Island will likely persist into the 2027 iPhone, which is expected to mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversary and be the first iPhone with an all-screen display.
However, the analysis suggests Apple will ultimately achieve this design, likely in the 2030s.
Another report from the Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station suggested that Apple will transition to an all-screen design through a step-by-step process. It is suggested that the transition roadmap might be as follows:
- Ongoing size reduction: Apple is expected to continue minimizing the Dynamic Island, building on the shrinking trend we’ve already observed.
- Partial under-display integration: The iPhone 18 Pro is anticipated to pioneer the concealment of select Face ID sensors, incrementally addressing complexity challenges.
- The 2027 benchmark: The full Face ID array may transition to under the display, leaving the front-facing camera as the only visible component.
Anything after this may be the first true all-screen iPhone.
What does the future hold for this redesign?
Although current technology is Apple’s bottleneck to achieving this in record time, Apple’s innovation may eventually prevail.
MacRumors also added that there is still a possibility that Apple will achieve this all-screen design by 2027. However, it could mean that the all-screen design will be exclusive to a higher-end model, while others retain a smaller Dynamic Island design.
Despite Fixed Focus Digital telling us that Apple is “still a long way from a true full-screen display,” with more than a year to prepare for this iPhone, our fingers are crossed while we expect what Apple will deliver.
Related reading: For more on Apple’s AI ambitions, check out how its next-gen Siri could rival ChatGPT.
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