Key takeaways

• Design: The iPhone 20 might be nearly all glass, featuring a quad-curved design.
• Display: Next year’s models could have the biggest screens in iPhone history.
• Cameras: The 20th anniversary edition iPhone could have a smaller Dynamic Island with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera.
• Release date: The next-generation iPhone could be released in September 2027, but there isn’t a specific launch date yet.
• Price: As of now, there haven’t been any whispers about the iPhone 20’s price. However, it could cost more than the current iPhone Pro models.

Apple has had a busy 2026 so far. From announcing an all-new affordable MacBook Neo to a $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo and reentering the smart home space with HomeView, amid a CEO transition, the Cupertino-based company has added some fascinating new products to its lineup this year. However, it is also navigating an unprecedented RAMageddon, which has led to significant price hikes, including increases of up to 33% on some devices, but that shouldn’t stop Apple from celebrating an upcoming iPhone anniversary with a special launch.

The first iPhone was announced in 2007 and next year marks its 20th anniversary. 2027 is expected to give us a drastically different iPhone. It is all set to be Ternus’ second major iPhone announcement after the iPhone Duo. The new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max arrived with a smaller Dynamic Island, while retaining the wide-camera module design from last year’s models. Apple’s iPhone hasn’t had a significant design overhaul in a few years. However, that could change next year.

We’re bracing ourselves for a 2017 iPhone X-like launch, which debuted a refreshed design to celebrate 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 and iPhone 18 Pro line. The 20th-anniversary edition Apple iPhone (the iPhone 20) could get a similar era-defining redesign. It is said to have an “extraordinarily complex” design, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a noted Apple analyst.

The original iPhone launched 20 years ago 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 a year away from the 20th-anniversary edition iPhone, it is 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 is fresh off the iPhone 18 Pro launch. One would expect the company to announce an iPhone 19 next year, given that the 2027 release would technically fit that naming scheme. However, it didn’t launch the iPhone 18 alongside the Pro models this year. We might see it launch in March next year, with an iPhone 20 coming in September 2027.

This would follow a similar pattern Apple followed in 2027. During that year, the Cupertino-based company 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.

Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone will get a huge redesign

There has long been speculation that Apple was working on a buttonless iPhone, and the 20th anniversary edition might just be it. A leak from Weibo tipster Fixed Focus Digital claims that Apple’s supply chain has finished renovations for the all-glass design. While production for a new iPhone model typically doesn’t reach full-scale manufacturing a few weeks before launch, the leaker claims Apple’s relevant manufacturing facility has “already been renovated” for the new design.

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.

According to a report from Chinese tipster Instant Digital, Apple is testing solid-state buttons, and they’ve passed rigorous testing scenarios. These include things like users wearing gloves, pressing the buttons with wet hands and in extreme temperature conditions. As per the report, the iPhone 20’s solid-state buttons are powered by a dedicated low-power chip that registers presses and provides haptic feedback even when the phone is completely switched off.

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. This speculation turned out to be true for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

There are conflicting reports regarding the all-screen design for a 2027 iPhone. Apple shrunk the Dynamic Island this year and it could further reduced the size to a punch-hole cutout (instead of a pill-shaped notch) next year. 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

On the front, the 20th-anniversary iPhone will have a brighter and thinner OLED panel, ETNews reported. 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.

A new Digital Chat Station post claims that the iPhone 20 Pro screen could be 6.41 inches and the Pro Max 6.96 inches, measured diagonally.  For reference, the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max measure 6.27 inches and 6.86 inches (which Apple rounds up to 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches), respectively. Anything bigger would make the iPhone 20 Pro lineup sport the biggest displays in the history of iPhones. I just hope it doesn’t result in a hefty phone. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is already one of the heaviest phones on the market right now.

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, but Apple has openly foreshadowed that price increases across its product lines are inevitable in the face of the rising cost of electronics. Apple raised the prices of a Mac, Apple TV, HomePod and iPad earlier this year and followed it up with an iPhone price hike after the September event. This could result in a more costly 20th-anniversary edition iPhone in 2027. 

A price increase for a radically redesigned iPhone wouldn’t be surprising. The iPhone X was the first Apple phone with a starting price of $1,000, a similar pricing strategy could be used to account for new technology along with a rumored increase in bill-of-materials (BoM) cost for the upcoming anniversary-edition iPhone.

According to a report from Counterpoint Research, the BoM cost of an iPhone 18 Pro Max with 12GB of memory and 1TB of storage rose by nearly $300 compared to its predecessor. If the memory and storage chip shortage continues in 2027, this could elevate to new highs, affecting the price of the 20th anniversary edition iPhone.

iPhone 20 release date

The 20th anniversary ‌iPhone‌ is expected to launch in 2027. Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, with a smaller Dynamic Island and a more powerful processor, alongside the foldable iPhone Duo in September 2026. There should be plenty more to look forward to this year and next.

Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos–mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands. His backpack usually carries one phone too many, and his playlists are stacked with 2000s Bollywood. Find him across social media @ParkyPrakhar.
Contact: parkydoesstuff(at)gmail(dot)com

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