Apple’s long-rumoured dream of a truly all-screen iPhone may finally become reality in 2027. According to renowned Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple is laying the groundwork for a radically redesigned iPhone to mark the device’s 20th anniversary — one with no notch, no Dynamic Island cutout, and no visible front-facing camera at all (via MacRumors).
The report claims Apple plans to introduce its next-generation under-screen camera technology in stages, starting with its first foldable iPhone expected next year. By debuting the tech in a niche, first-generation product, Apple can gauge real-world performance and user reception before rolling it out to its mainstream flagship lineup.
This strategy lines up with previous claims from the same leaker. Just last month, Digital Chat Station said Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone would feature a completely uninterrupted display, signalling the end of the notch and Dynamic Island era altogether. Reports also point to under-display Face ID arriving as soon as next year with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, shrinking — or potentially eliminating — the Dynamic Island over time.
According to the latest information, Apple’s foldable iPhone will feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-screen selfie camera for its inner display. That’s a significant leap over existing under-display camera implementations on Android devices, which typically rely on much lower-resolution sensors due to light loss and image degradation caused by display layers. The report suggests Apple has achieved a breakthrough using improved light transmittance and a six-element plastic lens system, resulting in sharper, clearer images than previous attempts.
Meanwhile, Apple is said to be perfecting an under-display version of its TrueDepth camera system for Face ID. One leak described a “spliced micro-transparent glass” window embedded within the display, allowing infrared sensors to function normally beneath the panel. Because biometric sensors are more tolerant of interference than traditional cameras, under-screen Face ID is seen as a lower-risk stepping stone toward a fully all-screen display.
Interestingly, Apple’s foldable is expected to rely on Touch ID integrated into the side button instead of Face ID, due to internal space constraints. That design choice would make it the first Apple device with a truly all-screen display, even before the anniversary iPhone arrives.
By 2027, Apple is expected to combine under-display Face ID and the under-screen camera into a single device. The milestone iPhone is rumoured to feature a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges, echoing former design chief Jony Ive’s long-held vision of a phone made from “a single slab of glass.” The device is also expected to use Samsung’s next-generation COE OLED technology, offering a thinner, brighter panel without a polarizer for improved efficiency and performance.
Much like the iPhone X in 2017, Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone could represent a true visual reset for the product — one that finally delivers on a design the company has been chasing for nearly two decades.
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