After a series of reports claimed that Apple is developing an all-screen “iPhone 20” smartphone for 2027 featuring a design mostly made of glass curving around the phone’s four edges, well-known insider UniverseIce said on X that Apple won’t make an iPhone with a curved display to celebrate the iPhone’s 20th anniversary. Instead, Apple would give the iPhone’s edges a softer curvature effect similar to the Apple Watch, which appears to be curving on the sides. The actual OLED panel under the glass will not curve; only the glass cover on top of it will get a curving effect towards the sides.
UniverseIce has been leaking Samsung and Apple secrets on Chinese social media and X for years. His newest take on X comes in response to a report from another well-known Apple insider. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman detailed a few days ago Apple’s purported iPhone design plans for the next three years. The iPhone 17 series will introduce the ultra-thin “Air” model; the iPhone 18 series will feature Apple’s first foldable handset; and a 20th anniversary iPhone redesign will come in 2027.
“Then comes 2027, when Apple celebrates its smartphone’s 20th birthday with a curved-glass ‘iPhone 20.’ This design will finally break from the squared-off slab we’ve lived with since 2020 and move to an approach with curved glass edges all around,” Gurman said, via MacRumors. “It should fit nicely with the new Liquid Glass-based interface for iOS and other operating systems due to be released next month.”
Gurman made similar claims in mid-May, saying that the iPhone 20 will offer a “mostly glass, curved” design. The Information said in early May that Apple will release an iPhone model in 2027 featuring an edge-to-edge display. The phone’s Face ID system and selfie camera would go under the screen.
What the iPhone 20’s curved screen might look like
“The iPhone can’t be designed with a curved screen. Don’t believe such rumors,” UniverseIce warned on X, explaining what sort of curvature the 20th anniversary iPhone might deliver. “Apple has explicitly informed its suppliers that it will not adopt curved screens. At most, it may feature a ‘visual curve’ effect—similar to the edges of an Apple Watch display, where the panel remains flat with the signature softly squared-off borders, while the glass subtly curves downward at the edges. The curvature will be minimal, achieving an edge-to-edge visual experience.”
The leaker also detailed the manufacturing concerns Apple might be dealing with during what could be a very early stage of prototyping. The iPhone 20 might be two years away, but Apple is probably working on the technology advancements required to support a massive redesign.
The iPhone can’t be designed in curved screen. Don’t believe such rumors.
Apple has explicitly informed its suppliers that it will not adopt curved screens, At most, it may feature a “visual curve” effect—similar to the edges of an Apple Watch display, where the panel remains…— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) August 25, 2025
“The current challenge lies in thinning the TFE (thin-film encapsulation) and optimizing the side OCA (optical clear adhesive) application,” UniverseIce said. “If not executed properly, it could create a ‘magnifying glass’ effect when viewed from the side, causing distorted visuals. This is the general direction Apple is pursuing—absolutely no quad-curved screens. A unibody quad-curved glass design might be possible, but only the glass would bend; the display itself would remain entirely flat, with zero curvature.”
Apple has never made iPhones with curved edges, even though various Android handset makers used curved screen designs in previous years. Samsung is the best example, but even Samsung retired the curved displays in favor of the flat screens seen on handsets launched in recent years. Apple did offer curved-edge glass effects on the 2014 iPhone 6 designs, which it kept in place until the 2022 iPhone SE 3.
One more thing
The sources above have always provided accurate details about Apple’s plans for the iPhone in the past, but these early iPhone 20 reports will need more time to be confirmed. While they seem to be contradictory, they could be telling the same iPhone 20 design story, as learned from different sources. Both Gurman and UniverseIce might be correct. Apple could employ an all-screen iPhone 20 design in 2027, but only the display’s glass cover might curve slightly at the edges before seamlessly merging with the phone’s chassis.
Interestingly, a report from Korean site ETNews from mid-May said that Apple might employ a “four-edge bending” technology for the 2027 iPhone, somewhat supporting Gurman’s May report. Such a screen would wrap around the iPhone’s four sides to offer users a display experience that would eliminate borders, or the bezels seen around current iPhone displays. A leak from Korea said in mid-June that Apple is considering an all-glass design for the iPhone 20. The glass would surround the display, edges, and rear, showing no gaps. Apple published patents in previous years showing iPhone concepts with wraparound displays. While tech shown in patents doesn’t always make it into commercial products, it proves Apple’s interest in pursuing such iPhone display innovations.
While this is all speculation, we’ll see an increase in iPhone 20 rumors in about a year, around the iPhone 18’s September 2026 launch event. The iPhone 20 will then appear in more reports in early 2027, as Apple finalizes the design and approaches the mass-production stage.
