Apple is reportedly planning a major redesign for the Twentieth-anniversary version of its iPhone lineup, anticipated to launch in September 2027.
A particular Professional mannequin that includes extra glass components to mark the iPhone’s 20 years of existence is in growth for the anniversary, says a Bloomberg report. Apple can also be anticipated to launch a foldable iPhone alongside the redesigned Professional, but it surely’s unclear if this may be the primary or second iteration. (Studies at the moment level to a 2026 launch for a foldable iPhone.) Apple stays the one main smartphone producer and not using a foldable system.
This Twentieth anniversary-focused technique may additionally assist reinvigorate iPhone gross sales, which have been sluggish in current months and should undergo beneath the Trump administration’s new 125% tariff on China, the place most elements and iPhones are imported from.
Within the meantime, the upcoming iPhone 17 is now anticipated to extra carefully resemble earlier Professional fashions. The iPhone Professional lineup has regarded largely the identical because the iPhone 12’s debut in 2020, when Apple launched 5G compatibility, with modifications over time principally restricted to paint updates and a steel swap to titanium on the iPhone 15 Professional.
Apple did not reply to a request for remark.
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Bloomberg stated that though the iPhone 17 Professional will nonetheless resemble the 16 Professional, it should possible function a redesigned rear digicam structure. The digicam module is predicted to take care of its three-lens setup however be positioned on a brand new panel that spans the whole width of the system with a single-tone end.
Apple can also be anticipated to introduce a notably thinner mannequin, rumored to be known as the iPhone 17 Air.
What’s going to the Twentieth-anniversary iPhone be named?
It is unclear how Apple will identify its Twentieth-anniversary iPhone, provided that the 2027 launch would technically fall in step with an iPhone 19 label. The cadence of the numbers shifted over time as Apple experimented with the names, resembling launching the iPhone 4S in 2011, relatively than calling it the iPhone 5 (the iPhone 5 launched in 2012).
The corporate has beforehand adjusted naming conventions for milestone moments, resembling skipping the iPhone 9 and unveiling the iPhone X to mark its tenth anniversary — so consistent with Roman numerals, the Twentieth-anniversary mannequin may probably be known as the iPhone XX.
The danger in ready to revamp the iPhone
Dipanjan Chatterjee, vp and principal analyst at market analysis agency Forrester, known as a redesign a “double-edged sword,” contemplating the iPhone’s design hasn’t undergone any significant change for awhile.
“A daring redesign for its anniversary mannequin feels like an exquisite thought till you understand that it’s nonetheless two years away and Apple has struggled to set off the improve supercycle that may revive the stagnant iPhone development the corporate has skilled currently,” he stated.
Chatterjee acknowledged Apple Intelligence nonetheless hasn’t fulfilled its promise of changing older iPhone house owners into later suitable {hardware}.
“The temptation to attend even longer for a vastly improved 2027 design is prone to additional prolong the improve cycle,” he added.
The opposite danger, he stated, is that some clients may go for the cheaper iPhone 16E now and wait a number of years to purchase the premium telephone they really need.
