hello. Technologytodaynow. 2027 is the 20th anniversary of the iPhone. Apple is planning to completely change the design of the iPhone in time for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary in 2027. One of them is rumored to be a change from the current sesame leaf design and angled side frame to a curved design, which could be similar to the design change that Samsung has used in the past.
iPhone 19 aims to apply a bezel-less ‘single glass plate’ design
According to a report by the 9to5 Mac, Apple is planning to completely eliminate bezels from its 20th anniversary iPhones and feature state-of-the-art high-density batteries. Previous reports by Bloomberg have suggested that Apple is working on iPhone 19 rules to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iPhone’s release with the goal of major design changes is to move towards the ultimate iPhone design, which looks like the single glass plate envisioned by Jonathan Ive. Details are not yet available, but a new supply chain report says that Samsung and LG will leverage the new display technology being developed to create a completely bezel-free display.
Applicability of 4-sided banding display technology
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman mentioned that the glass will be used more widely in his 20th anniversary iPhone. However, this explanation alone is not yet clear how the design of the 20th anniversary iPhone changes. According to a report by korea IT media Electronic Newspapers, Apple and its suppliers are working on a four-sided bending display technology. This seems to mean a design where the glass is bent on all four sides to remove all of the bezels on the front display.
Comparison of Samsung Edge Display and Xiaomi Concept Phone
That means the display will be applied to both top, bottom, left, and right. As glass becomes more widely used, the foreclosure of the front display will be completely eliminated. Samsung, the originator of edge displays, has given up on edge displays, and Chinese manufacturers are still using edge displays, which were likely to be discarded sooner than expected. However, if Apple introduces edge displays, it will flow in the opposite direction to the current trend.
One of the products with edge displays on both the top, bottom, left and right is a concept product with Xiaomi’s quad-curved water display. I think this product will help you imagine the 20th anniversary iPhone. However, this concept product has bezels at the corners, so the 20th anniversary iPhone will have to fill this part with a display to show a more advanced design. If a four-sided display is applied, it will also increase the likelihood of Apple installing a pressure-sensitive side button, which it postponed its plan to introduce to the iPhone.
Introducing pressure sensing side and developing new mathematical technology
It is expected to work by eliminating side physical buttons, sensing pressure, recognizing clicks, and giving the impression of pressing a physical button through a vibration sensor, just like the trackpad on a MacBook. In addition to this four-sided edge display, an under-display camera, or UDC, is being developed to completely eliminate dynamic islands. Currently, Apple is developing a Pure Silicon battery that dramatically improves energy density by using 100% silicon as a cathode, and it aims to increase battery life.
Success of new technology
However, we are not yet sure if these technologies will be successfully developed by 2027. As a similar example, the blood pressure monitoring feature of the Apple Watch was successfully developed and was expected to be featured on the Apple Watch released last year, but due to difficulties in the development process, it may be difficult to be featured on the Apple Watch released this year.
Problems such as grip and touch malfunction cannot be identified until the actual product is released, but we simply expect a four-sided edge display to be very attractive in terms of design. Furthermore, if the UDC is successfully developed, the front display will be more complete. I’m looking forward to seeing if these technologies will be applied to the iPhone 19 Pro, which marks the 20th anniversary of the iPhone’s release.