Apple could be readying a major redesign of the iPhone in over a decade. The team from Cupertino is reportedly preparing another radical redesign to mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversary. Rumours from the supply chain and major analyst reports suggest that Apple is targeting 2027 for a redesign of its flagship iPhone that will celebrate the ‘glass design’ – a theme we first saw with 2025’s iOS 26 and its ‘Liquid Glass’ theme.
While a report from financial analyst firm Jefferies initially shelved the idea of an all-glass iPhone, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reassured that Apple is working on a glass-themed iPhone for 2027. While it may not be the single glass slab that Apple originally wanted to make, the planned design incorporates the ‘Liquid Glass’ theme without giving up on practicality.
The 2027 iPhone: What’s with the glass design?
Smartphone designers have wanted to create an all-glass slab design devoid of any interruptions – a single piece of glass free of exposed metal bands, antenna cuts, or physical bezels. However, the manufacturing limitations have kept phone makers sticking to a basic slab design, with 2020’s iPhone 12 introducing the now-famous boxy shape.
The rumour mill surrounding the 2027 anniversary model suggests that Apple aims to pull off a design evolution akin to the iPhone X from 2017. Rather than just wrapping the front and back in glass with a titanium or steel chassis bonding them together, the proposed architecture would lean into curved, contiguous glass edges, embedding sensors and antenna structures directly behind or within a custom glass matrix.
Production realities for an all-glass iPhone
The buzz around the 20th-anniversary iPhone reached a fever pitch following conflicting reports regarding its production viability.
Analysts at financial firm Jefferies recently raised doubts about the ambitious all-glass design, suggesting that low manufacturing yields and structural fragility challenges had forced Apple to cancel or significantly scale back the all-glass Pro variant.
Countering those claims, reports from Bloomberg and industry insiders indicate the glass-centric 2027 iPhone project remains active and on schedule for a 2027 debut. The pushback highlights that while early manufacturing yields are predictably low for exotic glass molding, Apple’s long lead times are designed precisely to resolve these bottleneck issues well ahead of mass production.
Note that Apple usually navigates low initial yield rates when introducing a new design. From the unibody aluminium MacBooks to the complex curved glass on the Apple Vision Pro headset, early component scrap rates are historically high before being optimised for high-volume commercial scale.
Will an all-glass iPhone be possible?
For now, Gurman says that Apple is resorting to a simpler implemenetation that goes closer to its dream of creating a glass-unibody iPhone.
– The 2027 iPhone will have glass panels on the front and back of the device. However, a slim metal frame will hold the device together.
– An AppleInsider report hints that Apple may skip the iPhone 19 name in favour of iPhone 20 to mark the 20th anniversary model.
– The design might be similar to many Android flagship phones that have been championing the curvy glass designs. Phones like the Motorola Edge 70 Pro Plus and Google Pixel 7 Pro have showcased designs with glass curving to the edges.
– In fact, it was Samsung that introduced curved glass edges on smartphones back in 2014 with the Galaxy Note Edge. Later Samsung Galaxy S and Note models made the curved edge design a staple for the premium flagship models, with the Galaxy S8 series resembling the glass pebble shape.
– It remains to be seen how Apple addresses the durability concerns, since glass edges are prone to damage.
iPhone for 2026 and beyond
While the 20th anniversary iPhone is still in its early stages, Gurman talks about the upcoming iPhone 18 series, which is expected to break cover in September 2026. With rumours of a new launch timeline in play, Apple is expected to unveil only the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max alongside the iPhone Fold. The updated Apple Watch and iPad models may also join the stage. Gurman says that Apple may try to create some hype with a new dark red colourway for the Pro models.
Later, in early 2027, Gurman says that Apple could release the standard iPhone 18 alongside the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2. Note that Apple is yet to confirm any of these predictions.