Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone might bend light to make the display look futuristic
It might set a new standard for iPhones moving forward
📱 Apple might give next year’s iPhone a quad-curve display
🧊 The screen could be called a “Liquid Glass Display”
💡 It’ll reportedly bend the light around the display to hide the ultra-thin bezels
🫥 Other rumors say Face ID will sit behind the display, and there might not be MagSafe charging
📅 Apple is expected to announce its futuristic iPhone in September 2027
There’s been some crazy rumors about the future of the iPhone this week. While we’re all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro this year, Apple is said to be working on a brand-new iPhone to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the device for next year - and it might come with a “Liquid Glass Display.”
In a post on X from known leaker Ice Universe, the 20th-anniversary iPhone could come with a quad-curve display that looks like it’s spilling over each edge of the phone. However, it won’t just be curved like Samsung’s phones used to be; instead, it’ll be a custom panel with “extremely subtle” curves, as corroborated by Digital Chat Station on Weibo.
This will allow for a few things to happen. Apple will still retain some sort of bezel around the iPhone’s display, and you won’t have accidental presses on each side if you try to grip it. At the same time, you won’t be able to tell how subtle the curve is or see the bezels from the front of the device thanks to “ sophisticated combination of optical refraction, light guiding structures, and carefully engineered visual illusion,” according to Ice Universe.
This level of engineering sounds exactly like something Apple would do, especially for a device as important as the 20th-anniversary iPhone. Ice Universe says this could be “an entirely new display language” for Apple, suggesting that this is how iPhones will look moving forward, following its release.
The “Liquid Glass Display” branding also makes sense. The screen is supposed to look as fluid and natural as possible, and since Apple is striving for the same thing in its software, it’s not unreasonable to think the company will use the same brand name for its futuristic display as it does the design language for iOS.
Other rumors swirling around the future iPhone include under-display Face ID sensors, something Apple could start building toward with the iPhone 18 Pro’s smaller Dynamic Island. It’s unclear if Apple will be able to get the technology right to fully hide all the sensors required to make it work by next year, as it could leave a small cut-out for the selfie camera if it thinks the quality won’t be up to snuff.
Meanwhile, a separate rumor claims that future iPhones might drop MagSafe support altogether. Instant Digital, who has shared some accurate Apple leaks in the past, said on Weibo that there’s currently “internal debate” whether to include it on future iPhones, leading many to believe that the 20th-anniversary iPhone could skip out on it due to its radical new design. However, given the success of the MagSafe ecosystem and the growing number of Android phones adopting it (not to mention the fact it’s practically a legal requirement for Qi wireless charging at this point), this rumor seems extremely skeptical.
Apple is expected to announce the futuristic iPhone next year, likely in September. We’ll be following the rumors closely, so stay tuned.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.