Apple is planning to completely change the design of the iPhone over the course of the next three years, leading to a radically different “iPhone 20” to celebrate the iPhone’s 20th anniversary in 2027.
Here’s what’s coming.
2025
In 2025, Apple plans to debut the iPhone 17 Air, a much thinner version of the iPhone. Rumors suggest that it could be as thin as 5.5mm, which would make it the thinnest iPhone to date.
Apple is prioritizing the new, slimmed down chassis over features, and there will be some compromises. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to have a single-lens camera and lower battery life because Apple has to use a thinner battery. Still, it is an all-new design, and it helps Apple start the move to slimmer smartphones.
2026
The first foldable iPhone is coming in 2026, and that will be the biggest change to Apple’s smartphone lineup in iPhone history. Over the weekend, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman shared a few more details on the device, adding to what we already know.
Apple’s 2026 flagship iPhone will fold like a book, featuring an outer display when closed and a larger interior display when open. Apple has been working to reduce the crease, so the foldable iPhone will look like a single piece of glass.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the foldable iPhone will have a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner display. When it’s unfolded, it’ll be even thinner than the iPhone 17 Air. It’ll measure 4.5 to 4.8mm when open, and between 9 and 9.5mm when closed.
There will again be compromises, with Apple dropping Face ID and using Touch ID authentication instead. It will also be limited to a dual-lens rear camera, instead of a triple-lens setup, though there will be two front-facing cameras to make sure there’s a selfie cam when it’s open and when it’s closed.
The foldable iPhone will be sold alongside more standard iPhone 18 models.
2027
For the iPhone’s 20th anniversary in 2027, Apple has big plans. You might think that the 20th anniversary iPhone will be a foldable device, but that’s not the plan.
Apple is working on an iPhone with a wraparound display that curves around all of the edges, so there will be no bezels at all. It will look like a single piece of glass, with no squared edges and no cutouts at the front.
Apple is preparing for the all-glass iPhone with the 2025 and 2026 iPhones, and with the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26.
Which iPhone are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below.
