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Apple's iPhone XX plan: Unbreakable, all-screen glass box iPhone and Tim Cook's One Last Thing?

Published: Aug 14, 2023, 9:18 AM

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This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

Apple's iPhone XX plan: Unbreakable, all-screen glass box iPhone and Tim Cook's One Last Thing?

iPhone 15 is about a month and half away now, and (of course) everyone is jumping back on the Apple hype train wagon. And while we don’t expect Apple to bring a complete redesign, what stands out this year is the premium iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, which are now rumored to become the smartphones with the thinnest display borders in 2023.

One of reasons this is an interesting turn of events is because Apple never really held this title before - not even with the edge to edge screen of the iPhone X back in 2017 (when the Xiaomi Mi Mix had thinner display borders), and certainly not with any iPhones prior to that. Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and many more have pretty much always managed to outdo Cupertino in that regard, with the current record-holder for thinnest display borders being the Xiaomi 13.

Of course, you can argue display bezels are thin enough nowadays to make large phones feel as small as possible but as Winnie-the-Pooh would say, “more is more”, or in that case “less is less”, and no matter what anyone says, the “endgame” smartphone design will always be an all-screen phone that makes it look and feel like you’re holding a piece of glass.

And while this phone certainly won’t be the iPhone 15 Pro thanks to the infamous Dynamic Island, a leak coming from South Korea hints Apple might already be working on the next big thing for Steve Job’s legendary invention, and (contrary to all rumors right now), I believe this phone is called “iPhone XX”.

So, let me tell you all about it. Or rather “nothing” considering all we’ve got is rumors. But those are fun anyway.

Leaks hint at Apple’s plan for what could be “iPhone XX”: A crystal box made entirely out of glass

First of all, it was never a secret that Apple, and pretty much every other phone-maker, have always worked towards making an all-screen smartphone. However, this is the first time we have any sort of “confirmation” that Tim Cook & Co are actively working to make the dream of an all-screen iPhone turn into reality.

The best part about the rumors is that they are corroborated by three (very reliable) sources on Twitter - Ice Universe, Ross Young, and RGcloudS, and while you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with those people, you might want to know what they have to say about the all-screen iPhone.

According to Ice Universe (citing The Elec), Apple is now working on a “zero-bezel iPhone”. Internal sources are convinced Cupertino has already asked Samsung Display and LG Display to start developing OLED screens without any bezels that make the new iPhone look like a piece of glass.

In addition, it is reported that Apple is also developing a unibody glass construction, using a new type of “ultra-strong glass”. The alleged zero-bezel iPhone “will look like a closed crystal box - a mobile phone from the future”, says Ice Universe, indicating that the new titanium frame coming to iPhone 15 Pro might not be part of Apple’s long-term plan for the ultimate iPhone.

In support of the latest leak from The Elec (via Ice Universe), top display analyst Ross Young said last year that Apple is planning to make the iPhone completely bezel-less by 2027, or in other words, when iPhone 19 is supposed to be released (all three leaksters currently agree with that rumor). Until 2027, Ross Young expects Apple to manage to hide Face ID underneath the display of iPhone 17 and iPhone 18, which should still have a smaller cutout for the selfie camera.

“Ultra-strong” iPhone XX could cost as much as $2,000 thanks to unseen-before glass construction - how is Apple going to pull it off?

In order to turn today’s iPhone 14 Pro into an all-screen piece of glass without any bezels and holes, Apple needs to get a few things right. The first one is to further reduce the size of the display borders, which is set to happen with the iPhone 15 Pro (although they’ll need to get even thinner). Of course, the second challenge is to get rid of the massive “Dynamic Island”, which should prove to be a far more difficult task compared to the first one.

Removing the Dynamic Island means making the selfie camera and Face ID sensors of the iPhone completely invisible by placing them underneath the display, while maintaining their full functionality.

What we know from phones that hide their selfie cameras under the screen (Galaxy Z Fold 5, a few ZTE and Xiaomi flagships), is that this is doable (even today), but not without drastically reducing the photo, and video quality of the selfie shooter. And, of course, Apple isn’t amongst the companies that launch phones with half-baked features/design elements, so you can bet Tim Cook & Co will want to get it right from the first try.

According to leakster RGcloudS, Apple will use an “Eco² OLED/Pol-less screen” underneath a “soft glass that’s as strong as steel” to help hide the selfie camera and Face ID sensor of the “all-glass iPhone”.

An Eco² OLED display removes the traditional polarizer layer, which helps improve screen brightness (the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which has an under-display selfie camera uses identical technology). According to Samsung, since the Eco² OLED eliminates the polarizer, it also improves the light transmission to the under-display camera, which is key when it comes to making this one invisible, but also as functional as possible.

Meanwhile, the “soft glass that’s as strong as steel” part of the rumor about the 2027 iPhone sounds even more intriguing but we don’t know much about this tech right now - likely because it’s still years away.

That being said, I recall reading about an “ultrastrong two-dimensional polymeric material” that’s “stronger than steel and as light as plastic that can be easily manufactured in large quantities” about a year ago, and I now wonder if this could be the material that makes the “ultra-strong” glass construction of the 2027 iPhone possible. The MIT chemical engineers who developed the material did indeed say it could be used for the manufacturing of phones (amongst other things).

Leakster RGcloudS “is wondering” if the extremely complicated manufacturing process of an all-glass iPhone with no bezels and a 100% uninterrupted display will allow Apple to keep the price of the alleged iPhone (2027) below $2,000.

iPhone X was the first smartphone to break the $1,000 price ceiling, and I don’t see why Apple wouldn’t dare to start the alleged iPhone XX at $2,000. Remember, this phone is currently in line to be released in 2027.

With Apple Vision Pro out and Apple Car rumored to arrive before 2028, is iPhone XX going to be Tim Cook’s One Last Thing at Apple?

In the end, I’d like to explain why I believe the alleged 2027 iPhone will indeed be called “iPhone XX” instead of iPhone 19 as display analyst Ross Young and tipster Ice Universe suggested.

The first and most obvious reason (that everyone seems to ignore) Apple will never make an iPhone with the name “iPhone 19” is that Tim Cook & Co decided to skip what would’ve been the “iPhone 9” back in 2017 to go straight to what we know as the iPhone X (ten).

The second reason I believe the all-glass iPhone will be “iPhone XX” (whether it’s released in 2027 or 2028), is that this phone could very well “set the path for (smartphone) technology for the next decade”. If this sounds familiar, it’s because those are the words from the legendary launch of the iPhone X in 2017. And just like iPhone X completely changed the design and even software experience of Apple’s flagships, iPhone XX could do the same.

The first iPhone revolutionized a decade of technology, and changed the world in the process. Now, ten years later, it is only fitting that we’re here, at this place, on this day, to reveal a product that will set the path for technology for the next decade.

Tim Cook, iPhone X announcement, September 2017

Speaking of Tim Cook, perhaps the more interesting question isn’t the name of the next super-premium, game-changing iPhone but what this phone could symbolize for Apple’s CEO himself…

It’s long been rumored that Cook is heading towards retirement from the world’s highest-valued company, which makes me wonder whether “iPhone XX” could be Cook’s “One Last Thing” for the Cupertino based tech giant? Right now, it’s rather difficult to predict if that’s going to be the case, since “iPhone XX” is still at least 4-5 years away.

However, with Apple’s groundbreaking Vision Pro headset already released (undoubtedly the company’s biggest announcement since the original iPhone), and an Apple Car rumored to arrive by 2026, the 2027-2028 iPhone XX might very well be Tim Cook’s curtain call before he’s ready to pass the torch to the next chief of Apple’s trillion-dollar empire. As far as we know right now (meaning we don’t know much at all), this could be the hilarious Craig Federighi, or even… me. I’ll let you know how that goes.

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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.