Forget iPhone 17 Pro - Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone rumored to have 'bold' new design

The company is expected to give the iPhone a major refresh in 2027 for its 20th anniversary, according to a report

(Credit: Apple)

• 📱 Apple is rumored to give the iPhone a big design update in 2027

• 👀 A new report says the 20th anniversary iPhone will offer a “bold new Pro model”

• 🧐 It could appear like a “single sheet of glass”

• 📂 A new foldable iPhone could also ship at the same time

• 📅 We expect these devices to arrive sometime in late 2027

The new iPhone usually looks like the last iPhone, but it doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to say that when 2027 rolls around. Apple will reportedly release a “bold” new design for the iPhone to celebrate its 20th anniversary, following a trajectory similar to the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, which wound up being the completely redesigned iPhone X. It could wind up looking like a single sheet of glass, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter. In addition, Apple could release a new foldable iPhone to celebrate the occasion.

• More: iPhone 17 Pro release date: rumors, specs, and everything you need to know

Gurman says the 20th anniversary iPhone will offer a “bold new Pro model that makes more extensive use of glass.”

We’ve heard rumors for years that Apple wants to make an iPhone without ports and a cohesive, premium design. The first solid proof of this was the introduction of MagSafe, which lets you charge your phone while you use it without physically plugging it in. Meanwhile, new technologies like the ones Apple will use in the iPhone 17 Air will allow for thinner designs in the future with more complicated form factors, paving a path for a folding iPhone and this mysterious glass-covered Pro model.

Gurman doesn’t go into detail about what this phone could look like beyond the extensive use of glass, but it sounds like we’re due for an iPhone X-level design shake-up come 2027.

• More: iPhone 17 Air release date: rumors, specs, and how thin it'll be

The “foldable version” of the 20th-anniversary iPhone is also a mystery. It’ll likely be Apple’s second folding iPhone ever, following the release of its first which is expected sometime in 2026. Apple will likely use a design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold series for that device, but its second could wind up being a clamshell like the Motorola Razr. Right now, it’s too early to tell.

In his report, Gurman also notes that this year’s iPhone 17 Pro will come with a larger camera bump than what’s on the iPhone 16 Pro, but both the camera bump and the rest of the device will be the same color. Previous leaks have suggested it would offer a two-tone look with a different color on the camera bump. The design changes will be “gradual” this year, according to Gurman.

The 20th-anniversary iPhone series will likely drop in September of 2027, if history is any indication. Meanwhile, this year’s iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro is expected to debut this September.

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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. 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.