by Tim Hardwick
Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone will use a new type of curved screen technology that more effectively hides the display bezels from the user's line of sight for a purer viewing experience, claims a Chinese leaker.
Apple is reportedly planning a radical redesign for the 20th-anniversary iPhone that could feature a display that curves around all four edges of the device. To achieve this, Apple will reportedly use an equal-depth quad-curved panel supplied by Samsung, and it sounds like it's going to be quite different from typical curved screens.
According to leaker Ice Universe, "It is not a traditional quad curved display, nor is it anything like the curved screen solutions we have seen on Android phones over the years." This is said to be down to its extremely subtle curvature, but there are apparently other factors that could come into play.
"What truly creates the visual impact may be a sophisticated combination of optical refraction, light guiding structures, and carefully engineered visual illusion," said Ice Universe, writing in a post on X. "The end result could be a display where the bezel nearly disappears from sight, while edge viewing remains natural and undisturbed."
Apple will also reportedly adopt a Samsung-made OLED technology called COE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) to make the 20th-anniversary iPhone's display brighter and thinner than previous panels. Apple may refer to it as a "Liquid Glass Display," in a nod to its latest software interface redesign, claims the leaker.
Apple may define its next generation display as "Liquid Glass Display."
It is not a traditional quad curved display, nor is it anything like the curved screen solutions we have seen on Android phones over the years. The curvature itself could be extremely subtle. What truly... pic.twitter.com/onj81yNWQf — Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) April 27, 2026
To mark the 20th-anniversary of the iPhone in 2027, Apple ideally wants an uninterrupted display with no cutouts for the most visual impact, but concealing the Face ID system and selfie camera under the panel is going to be a challenge.
Display analyst Ross Young has said that Apple won't have under-display Face ID ready to go for a 2027 iPhone, but other leakers think it's possible. If Apple can't get everything under the display, we may see under-display Face ID and then a small hole-punch cutout on the front for the front-facing camera.