Key Takeaways:
- Design: The iPhone 20 could be made entirely of glass and might not have any buttons at all.
- Display: Apple could tap Samsung Display for an equal-depth quad-curved panel design.
- Cameras: There are conflicting reports about the selfie camera being located behind the screen.
- Release date: It could be released in September 2027 but we don’t have a specific launch date yet.
- Price: As of now, there haven’t been any whispers about the iPhone 20’s price. But we don’t expect it to cost less than the current models.
Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, will take charge starting Sept. 1, 2026. He will officially begin his stint right before the iPhone 18 series launch, but there’s another big Apple anniversary coming up in 2027. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the iPhone‘s debut. While Apple’s iPhone has looked the same for a while now — flat sides, Dynamic Island on the front and an increasing number of buttons on the sides — this approach could change next year. It would be Ternus’ second big iPhone announcement after the rumored iPhone Fold, which is expected to be announced later this year.
We’re bracing ourselves for an iPhone X-like launch next year. In 2017, that iPhone was released as the first to debut a refreshed design, celebrating the iPhone’s 10th anniversary. It introduced Face ID and an all-new look with minimal bezels. That design still echoes through the current iPhone 17 line. Apple’s 20th-anniversary edition iPhone (the iPhone 20) could get a similar era-defining redesign. It’ll have an “extraordinarily complex” design, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a noted Apple analyst.
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The original iPhone debuted in 2007 and became an icon in the years that followed. While it wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today, its legacy and impact on society, business and communication are practically unmatched. But Apple has changed since the Steve Jobs era of the iPhone. It plays a different role in our world now as it faces new competition from generative AI companies. While we’re still two generations away from the 20th-anniversary edition iPhone, it’s already looking like a prominent product that could help define Apple’s next 10 years. Here’s what we know so far about Apple’s upcoming iPhone.
iPhone 20 or iPhone XX?
Apple’s 2025 lineup is made up of iPhone models aimed to appeal to different people with the E, Pro and Air variants. However, the iPhone 20 could be in a league of its own.
The current-generation iPhone 17 line launched last year and an iPhone 18 line is expected in 2026. One would expect Apple to announce an iPhone 19 next year, given that the 2027 release would technically fit that naming scheme. However, it isn’t that straightforward.
In 2017, Apple skipped an iPhone 9 and announced the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. It might do the same in 2027 by launching an iPhone 20 instead of an iPhone 19. However, there are no reports confirming the name for the long-speculated 20th-anniversary iPhone. Will it be iPhone XX? iPhone 20? Or iPhone 2027 to match the iOS naming scheme? Only time will tell.
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Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone will get a huge redesign
Like the iPhone X, the iPhone 20 could feature an all-new design language.
There has long been speculation that Apple was working on a buttonless iPhone and the 20th anniversary edition might just be it.
Last year, a rumor from China stated that the 2027 iPhone would be devoid of any physical buttons. Instead, the power, volume, Action and Camera Control buttons will be integrated directly into the device’s frame and have localized vibration feedback like a MacBook’s trackpad. Haptic feedback could provide differentiation between a light press and a firmer press to trigger different functions.
Apple is planning an all-glass device “without any cutouts in the display,” according to a Bloomberg report in May 2025. More recently, display analyst Ross Young posted on X saying that he doesn’t expect an all-screen iPhone to be released before 2030. In another post, Young said that Face ID components will be “under a transparent area of the display, resulting in a smaller notch” on the 2026 and 2027 iPhones.
There are conflicting reports regarding the all-screen design for a 2027 iPhone. Apple could shrink the Dynamic Island to a punch-hole cutout (instead of a pill-shaped notch) later this year, and this design could continue in 2027. However, there could be a special 20th-anniversary model (without a display cutout) that would be an ultra-premium model sitting above the iPhone Pro (with a small punch-hole cutout) in Apple’s lineup.
iPhone 20 display, processor and cameras
The iPhone 20 is likely to be more powerful and longer-lasting than the current-generation iPhone 17 Pro Max.
On the front, the 20th-anniversary iPhone will have a brighter and thinner OLED panel, as reported by ETNews. Apple is tipped to adopt a Samsung OLED display with Color Filter on Encapsulation technology, which removes the polarizing film from an OLED panel and has the color filter directly on the screen’s encapsulation layer. This could result in a thinner overall display stack that reduces screen glare, increases brightness and draws less power.
Another rumor from Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station claims that Apple has asked Samsung Display for an equal-depth quad-curved panel design. It’s said to have “micro-curves” to keep the curvature shallow, as opposed to the curved waterfall edges of Samsung Galaxy phones of the past. This should allow the device to feel softer in the hand, with a more natural user experience when swiping from the edges.
Apple is expected to transition to smaller, faster and more efficient 2nm chips with the iPhone 18 lineup later this year. And 2027’s anniversary iPhone could get a second-generation 2nm chip for improved efficiency and powerful performance. It might be paired with Mobile High Bandwidth Memory RAM to boost signal transmission speeds.
The upcoming iPhone might also be the first Apple cellphone to embrace silicon anode batteries. According to another ETNews report from 2025, Apple is looking into using pure silicon anode battery technology for the 20th anniversary iPhone.
For context, you can find silicon anode batteries in current-generation Chinese phones like the OnePlus 15 and Oppo Find X9 Pro, among others. This technology allows phone manufacturers to pack more battery capacity in a smaller footprint, thanks to its better energy density. Apple is speculated to take advantage of this technology and have a bigger than expected cell inside its anniversary edition iPhone.
While there are reports speculating the adoption of a 200-megapixel sensor on an iPhone in 2028, we have limited information regarding the optics on 2027’s 20th anniversary edition iPhone. I would love to see a bigger sensor and improved image processing — especially in portrait mode and macro mode — on my next iPhone. However, we’ll need to wait until the iPhone 18 launch to learn more about Apple’s plans for next year.
iPhone 20 price
There are no rumors suggesting the price of the highly anticipated iPhone 20. While recent reports have indicated that the upcoming iPhone 18 won’t see a price increase, we could get a more costly 20th-anniversary edition iPhone in 2027. As the iPhone X was the first Apple phone with a starting price of $1,000, we should brace ourselves for a similar pricing strategy next year. It shouldn’t be more expensive than the rumored iPhone Fold, but could be right up there with the Pro Max iPhones.
iPhone 20 release date
The 20th anniversary iPhone is expected to launch in 2027. Apple might introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, with a smaller Dynamic Island and a more powerful processor, later this year, alongside the heavily rumored iPhone Fold. There should be plenty more to look forward to this year and next.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
