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iPhone 20th Anniversary to Feature a Bold Design That Uses Glass Extensively: Report

iPhone 20th Anniversary to Feature a Bold Design That Uses Glass Extensively: Report

iPhone 17 Air is said to be the first of many steps, towards realising this dream.

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 7 April 2025 14:49 IST

iPhone 20th Anniversary to Feature a Bold Design That Uses Glass Extensively: Report

Apple’s iPhone design has barely changed since its iPhone 12.

Highlights

Apple is said to have big plans for its 20th anniversary iPhone
It is said that Apple is working on a design which uses a lot of glass
It may end up being a tuning point for iPhone design like the iPhone X

Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 series, which is expected to include a new iPhone Air, is said to bring several design changes. Given the plethora of leaks we have seen so far, none of these are expected to be major redesigns, like the iPhone 12 (2020), or even the iPhone X (2017). Apple's iPhone design has indeed stagnated over the years, with no major changes observed from the iPhone 12 till the currently available iPhone 16 models. However, new information suggests that Apple is planning a major design change for its iPhone 19 series, expected to be launched in 2027.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who has so far been accurate when it comes to Apple leaks, gave out a tiny snippet of information about future iPhone models in his weekly Power On newsletter. Gurman stated that Apple is indeed preparing a “major shake-up” for its 20th anniversary iPhone. He added that there is a foldable version being worked on, but the new iPhone 19 Pro model will feature a design that will make “extensive use of glass”.

9to5Mac pointed out that such a design that relies heavily on glass, was in fact dreamed up by ex-design head Jony Ive. In the past, Ive had a vision for an iPhone which would appear like a single sheet of glass. While the iPhone X brought us closer to this idea and we do refer to modern day smartphones as “slabs of glass”, Apple's iPhone is no longer the slim and svelte phone that they used to be prior to the iPhone X.

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Modern day iPhone models are quite thick in comparison. An iPhone 8 Plus (2017) for example, was slimmer at 7.5mm, compared to the most expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max you can buy today. It measures a thicker 8.3mm, but of course has more cameras with better capability among other things.

It remains unclear whether Apple's extensive use of glass will result in an iPhone that appears as aggressive as Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha, which lacked volume buttons but had a wrap-around display. Or, whether it takes a more subtle approach with a design that gets rid of bezels entirely like an older Samsung Galaxy S9 with aggressively curved edges for its display. Indeed, the possibilities are limitless given current-day technologies, compared to what was available when the above devices were announced, around 2018.

The last time Apple celebrated its 10-year anniversary, we got the iPhone X, which was revolutionary in several ways. It introduced a brand-new design language by using a rounded stainless-steel frame in what was termed as a “bezel-less” format, sans any chunky borders that were present on regular models back then. It was the first iPhone to use an OLED display and also brought rounded corners to iOS. Face ID too was revolutionary in many ways and basically laid the foundation for Touch ID's removal fromthe iPhone (as it stands today). The iPhone X also introduced Portrait mode which allowed clicking images with a software-enabled shallow depth of field.

iPhone 16 Pro Max Review: Apple's Crown Jewel?

iPhone 12

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good build quality
Dolby Vision HDR video recording
Excellent cameras
Smooth performance in everyday use

Bad
Battery life could be better
Gets warm when stressed

Read detailed Apple iPhone 12 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A14 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 64GB

OS iOS 14

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Insane performance
Vastly improved cameras
Portrait Mode is great
Wireless charging
Assured, timely software updates

Bad
Same old design, ungainly
First party apps not great in India
Fast charger not bundled

Read detailed Apple iPhone 8 Plus review

Display 5.50-inch

Processor Apple A11 Bionic

Front Camera 7-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 3GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 2691mAh

OS iOS 11

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

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Choose a variant

iPhone 16 Pro Max

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Massive screen size
Brilliant display
Performance beast
Camera Control is a boon
Fantastic battery life

Bad
Big phone for one-hand use
Expensive
No Apple Intelligence at launch
Slow-wired charging support

Read detailed Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review

Display 6.90-inch

Processor Apple A18 Pro

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 18

Resolution 1320x2868 pixels

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Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 7.92-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+

Front Camera No

Rear Camera 108-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 20-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 512GB

Battery Capacity 4050mAh

OS Android

Resolution 2088x2250 pixels

More Xiaomi mobiles Xiaomi mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy S9

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent build quality and compact design
Stereo speakers
Good battery life
Snappy all-round performance
Very good rear camera
Vivid HDR display

Bad
Intelligent Scan feels clunky
Attracts fingerprints easily

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S9 review

Display 5.80-inch

Processor Samsung Exynos 9810

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3000mAh

OS Android 8.0

Resolution 1440x2960 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Choose a variant

Apple iPhone X

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Stunning design and display
Great cameras
Wireless charging
Assured, timely software updates

Bad
Costs a small fortune
First party apps not great in India
Fast charger not bundled

Read detailed Apple iPhone X review

Display 5.80-inch

Processor Apple A11 Bionic

Front Camera 7-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 3GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 2716mAh

OS iOS 11

Resolution 1125x2436 pixels

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Choose a variant

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Further reading: Apple, Apple iPhone 19 Pro, Apple 20th Anniversary iPhone, Apple iPhone 19 Pro Design

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More