2027 will be a big year for iPhones and here’s what you can expect.
Prakhar Khanna is a writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes and other major media outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives on chaos, mixing deadlines and travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while scouting out the best pizzerias wherever he lands. His backpack usually contains one phone too many and his playlists are full of 2000s Bollywood. Find him on social media @ParkyPrakhar. Contact: parkydoesstuff(at)gmail(dot)com
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Key points to remember:
- Design: The iPhone 20 could be all glass and have no buttons.
- Cameras: There are conflicting reports that the selfie will be behind the screen rather than in a cutout.
- Release date: There are no firm rumors on a release date, but September 2027 is likely.
- Price: At this point, there have been no rumors about the iPhone 20 price.
THE The iPhone looks the same for a while now, but that could change in 2027. Apple is reportedly planning something special for next year, as it will be the 20th anniversary of the iPhonethe beginnings.
The Cupertino, California-based company could announce a redesigned iPhone, similar to what it did with the iPhoneX for his 10th anniversary. The iPhone X was the first Apple phone without Touch ID, marked the debut of Face ID and a completely new look with minimal bezels. This conception still finds an echo in the current iPhone 17 line. Apple’s 20th Anniversary Edition iPhone could get a similar treatment. It will have an “extraordinarily complex” design, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a noted Apple analyst.
The original iPhone debuted in 2007 and has become an icon over time. Although it was not as ubiquitous as it is today, its legacy and impact on society, business, and communication is virtually unmatched. But Apple has changed since Steve Jobs’ days with the iPhone and now plays a different role in our world as it faces new competition from generative AI companies. Although we’re two generations away from the iPhone 20th Anniversary Edition, it’s already emerging as a blockbuster product that could help define Apple’s next 10 years. Here’s what we know so far about Apple’s next iPhone.
iPhone 20 or iPhone XX?
Apple’s 2025 lineup is made up of iPhone models meant to appeal to different people with the E, Pro, and Air variants. However, the iPhone 20 might be in a league of its own.
Celso Bulgatti/CNETThe current generation iPhone 17 lineup launched last year and a iPhone 18 line is expected later in 2026. We could expect Apple to announce an iPhone 19 next year, given that the 2027 version would technically fit this naming scheme. However, it’s not that simple.
In 2017, Apple ignored an iPhone 9 and announced the iPhone iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. It could do the same in 2027 by launching an iPhone 20 instead of an iPhone 19. However, no reports confirm the long-speculated iPhone name for the 20th anniversary. Will it be the iPhone XX? iPhone 20? Or the iPhone 2027 to match the iOS naming scheme? Only time will tell.
Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone will get a huge redesign
Like the iPhone X, the iPhone 20 could feature an entirely new design language.
John Kim/CNETA long time ago speculation that Apple was working on a buttonless iPhone, and that the 20th Anniversary Edition might just be one.
Last year, a rumor out of China claimed that the 2027 iPhone would lack any physical buttons. Instead, the power, volume, action, and camera control buttons will be integrated directly into the device’s frame and will have localized vibration feedback like a MacBook’s trackpad. Haptic feedback could make it possible to differentiate light pressure from firmer pressure to trigger different functions.
Apple is planning an all-glass device “with no cutouts in the display,” according to a Bloomberg report from May 2025. Most recently, display analyst Ross Young posted on 2027.
There are conflicting reports regarding the all-screen design of a 2027 iPhone. Apple may scale down Dynamic Island to a punch-hole cutout (instead of a pill-shaped notch) later this year, and this design could continue into 2027. However, there could be a special 20th anniversary model (without a screen 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 screen, processor and cameras
The iPhone 20 will likely be more powerful and durable than the current generation iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETOn the front, the 20th Anniversary iPhone will have a brighter and thinner OLED panel, as reported by ETNews. Apple is expected to adopt a Samsung OLED display with Color Filter on Encapsulation technology, which removes the polarizing film from an OLED panel and places the color filter directly on the encapsulation layer of the display. This could result in a thinner overall display stack that reduces screen glare, increases brightness, and consumes less power.
Apple is expected to move to smaller, faster and more efficient 2nm chips with the iPhone 18 lineup later this year. And the 2027 anniversary iPhone could receive a second-generation 2nm chip for improved efficiency and powerful performance. It can be combined with high-bandwidth mobile RAM to increase signal transmission speeds.
The next iPhone could also be the first Apple cellphone to feature silicon anode batteries. According to another report from ETNews from 2025, Apple plans to use 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 Proamong others. This technology allows phone makers to pack more battery capacity into a smaller footprint, thanks to its better energy density. Apple is expected to take advantage of this technology and have a larger cell than expected in its anniversary edition iPhone.
While there are reports speculating about a 200-megapixel sensor coming to an iPhone in 2028, we have limited information regarding the optics of the 2027 iPhone 20th Anniversary Edition. I would like to see a larger sensor and improved image processing, especially in portrait and macro modes, on my next iPhone. However, we will have to wait for the launch of the iPhone 18 to find out more about Apple’s plans for next year.
iPhone 20 price
No rumors suggest the price of the much-anticipated iPhone 20. Although recent reports indicate that the upcoming iPhone 18 won’t see a price increase, we might get a more expensive 20th Anniversary Edition iPhone in 2027. Since the iPhone It shouldn’t be more expensive than rumored Foldable iPhone but could be on par with the iPhones Pro Max.
iPhone 20 release date
The 20th anniversary iPhone is expected to launch in 2027. Apple could introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, with a smaller Dynamic Island and a more powerful processor, later this year, alongside many rumors. Foldable iPhone. There should be plenty more to look forward to this year and next.
