TL; DR
- The all-screen glass iPhone is codenamed “Glasswing.” Further, the company is working with display partners, believed to be LG and Samsung, to develop “four-edge bending” OLED screens that can cover the four sides of the phone.
- To provide an uninterrupted screen experience, Apple is reportedly considering placing all the front-facing sensors, such as the selfie camera and the Face ID module, under the display.
- Given that 2027 will mark the product’s 20th anniversary, it could be called the iPhone 20. And if all goes according to plan, Apple might, in a very real way, recreate the iPhone X moment.
We’ve heard this before, and we’re hearing it again: a curved screen iPhone to commemorate the product’s 20th anniversary in the market. However, this time, it’s in the context of the company’s three-year roadmap to reinvent the iPhone. The plan includes an iPhone “Air” model in 2025 with an exceptionally thin chassis (to compete with the Galaxy S25 Edge), followed by a foldable iPhone in 2026, and finally, a curved-screen iPhone in 2027.
iPhone Takes Center Stage At Apple’s Short-Term Innovation Plans
It’s clear that Apple wants to keep its star product — the iPhone — at the center of its short-term strategy, which could be attributed to slower (and rather boring) innovation cycles in the recent past, and of course, the market maturity (related to the limited use cases and potential additions one can make to tradition, brick-style smartphones). However, Apple remains confident about its plans, particularly those related to the curved-screen, all-glass iPhone slated for 2027.
Also Read: Apple’s 20th Anniversary All-Glass iPhone Could Launch By 2027: Here’s Everything We Know About It
Apple’s All-Glass iPhone To Come Out In 2027
In May 2025, we published an article about Apple’s idea to make an iPhone from a single slab of glass, with a single, uninterrupted screen on the front. Reports also connected the claim with Apple’s 2019 patent regarding an all-glass smartphone with displays on all sides (including the front, sides, and back of the phone).
Quad-Curved Screens Reportedly Being Developed With LG And Samsung
The all-screen glass iPhone is codenamed “Glasswing.” Further, the company is working with display partners, believed to be LG and Samsung, to develop “four-edge bending” OLED screens that can cover the four sides of the phone. Surrounding the screen should be a layer of glass, which is why some sources are referring to the design as a “continuous loop” of glass.
Under-Display Front Camera And Face ID
To provide an uninterrupted screen experience, Apple is reportedly considering placing all the front-facing sensors, such as the selfie camera and the Face ID module, under the display (with some sort of see-through transparent display technology that allows for the sensors to have a clear view).
While we’ve seen under-display camera phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 (review), it didn’t churn out the best selfies one can click from a smartphone. Apple, on the other hand, is known to take its time with a technology unless it offers near-perfect results. Hence, it will be interesting to see what tricks the tech behemoth implements to achieve enhanced visibility for the sensors inside the screen.
The All-Glass iPhone Should Complement iOS 26’s Liquid Glass Design
It’s not a coincidence that the main theme of Apple’s upcoming operating system, iOS 26 (hands-on review), is Liquid Glass, and chatter about the 2027 iPhone also features an all-glass design. In my opinion, Apple will use clever branding tactics to connect the software (which would have matured by the time the 20th anniversary iPhone is out) and its new exterior design: both will complement each other.
Also Read: Why I Think the iPhone 17 Might Be the Perfect iPhone for Most People
No iPhone 19? Glasswing Could Release As “iPhone 20” Instead
Another major change coming with the all-glass iPhone is in the naming scheme. Most recently, the company officially announced “iOS 26” as part of a major rebranding strategy that simplifies the nomenclature for stakeholders and end-users. Given that 2027 will mark the product’s 20th anniversary, it could be called the iPhone 20. And if all goes according to plan, Apple might, in a very real way, recreate the iPhone X moment.
It goes without saying that the device, as and when it breaks cover, will be among the most expensive iPhones in the company’s lineup. We could be looking at a starting price of around $1,200 to $1,500, although this remains just a conjecture at the moment.
Only The Glass Will Bend Around The Corners, Not The Screen: Tipster
After the reports about the curved-screen iPhone surfaced online, renowned tipster @UniverseIce seems to have refuted them. In an X post published earlier today, the tipster writes how “Apple has explicitly informed its suppliers that it will not adopt curved screens.” However, it might still adopt a visually curved effect (similar to what we see on the edges of the Apple Watch, which have a minimal curvature).
The tipster cites issues with achieving the required thickness of the thin-film encapsulation or TFE (which, in this case, needs to be thinner than the ones used on conventional smartphones), and subsequently optimizing the optical clear adhesive or OCA application. If these aren’t done well, the screen could have distorted visuals.
Due to the technical difficulties in making an all-screen phone, we can also interpret an “all-glass iPhone” as one that uses a unibody quad-curved glass design, wherein the glass bends around the frame of the phone (and not the screen). This would be a more easier and affordable approach (as Apple already uses glass on the front and the back of its iPhones).
More details about the 20th anniversary all-glass iPhone should surface in the coming days. As we move closer to the month of September, excitement about the upcoming iPhone 17 series is also rising. Which iPhone 17 model are you planning to purchase, or are you considering not getting one this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
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