Just when you thought Apple had quietly shelved its big glass iPhone redesign, word comes that the plan is still very much alive. Writing for Bloomberg, famed leaker Mark Gurman has said that the 20th-anniversary iPhone with a radical all-glass design is still on track for the 2027 release.
So was the all glass iPhone actually cancelled?
Gurman has sated that Apple hasn’t changed its roadmap for next year’s iPhone Pro models, which are expected to bring a glass-heavy design to mark the phone’s 20th anniversary.
That directly contradicts a report this week from Jefferies analyst Edison Lee, who claimed supply chain issues had killed the design and even downgraded Apple stock over it. Apple shares dropped as much as 2.8% on the news, but if these sources are right, the doubters may have jumped the gun.
The design, known internally as V73 and V74, uses glass on the front and back that curves into the sides, with a metal band running through the middle. Apple’s design studio reportedly experimented with an even bolder version that skipped metal almost entirely, but that idea got scrapped early. Turns out gluing that much glass together and making it work at scale is easier said than done.
What else is Apple cooking up before then?
There’s plenty on the way before we get anywhere near this redesign. Next month brings the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with big camera upgrades, a foldable iPhone that Apple is calling its biggest design shift yet, and a new dark red color option. Come spring, expect the standard iPhone 18, an updated budget-friendly 18e, and a second-generation iPhone Air with an extra camera, a faster chip, and better battery life.
The iPhone still brings in roughly half of Apple’s revenue, and sales grew 22% last quarter. With incoming CEO John Ternus taking over on September 1, this glass redesign could turn out to be one of the flashiest launches of his early tenure.
