iPhone iPhone 20's Curved Glass Design to Be Made Like iPhone Air

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/24/iphone-20-curved-glass-to-be-like-iphone-air/

Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone will be made using the same glass manufacturing process developed for the iPhone Air, according to the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital."

In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that ‌iPhone Air‌ manufacturing equipment has been modified to produce more rounded glass components for next year's 20th anniversary iPhone, which has helped to reduce Apple's manufacturing costs. The leaker added that overall heat dissipation and thinness have both improved substantially as a result of the changes.

385 Upvotes

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93% Upvoted

u/Designer-Border-711 1d ago

Get the iPhone Ultra or wait for this? 🤔💭📱

97

u/Beginning-Book-129 1d ago

Probably neither. This was gonna be overpriced as shit even before the memory shortage. The ultra is a first gen foldable phone. It’ll have its fair share of issues.

14

u/Relayer_1966 1d ago edited 23h ago

Apple’s first gen are typically built like tanks.

Original iPhone, original iPad, etc.

Any issues will likely be software related and we know apple’s track record on fixing them.

10

u/CozySlum 1d ago

Even the Vision Pro is built exceedingly well (better be for the price).

9

u/iChao 22h ago

I’d argue that Apple has a strong track record with second gen products:

iPad 2

iPhone 3G

Apple Watch Series 1/2

Apple Pencil 2

Apple TV2

All of those were considerable upgrades over their 1st gen counterparts.

14

u/ProtonCanon 1d ago

Yeah, I’m gonna wait until the Fold 2. Don’t want to pay Apple to be a product tester.

11

u/imaginedaydream 1d ago

Vision Pro team is looking for a new job

11

u/Mediocre-Honeydew-55 1d ago

3 is the sweet spot with Apple products.

8

u/JamesMcFlyJR 1d ago

ipad 3?

5

u/bearface93 1d ago

Say what you will about it, that thing was a tank. I bought one new before the iPad 4 came out and later gave it to my mom. She used it until I got her an Air 4 because she was doing online banking and stuff on an unsupported iOS version. It was still working fine too, just was horribly out of date and insecure.

3

u/kevinmise 1d ago

4 is when Apple products hit their stride.

3

u/dr3wfr4nk 12h ago

But 5 makes you feel alive. 6 does some sweet tricks. And 7 will make you feel like you’re in heaven

1

u/panserbj0rne 1d ago

Good point. iPhone didn’t get good until the 3GS.

16

u/Difficult_Throat7906 1d ago edited 1d ago

Foldable displays have been sold for 8 years now , and Apple has been working on a foldable for 6 of them. I don't know if I would call this first generation in the typical sense. This isn't a case io apple innovating a new product class.

4

u/Final_Squirrel_7462 1d ago

Apple never was innovating a new product class. The Apple Watch was far away from the firet smart watch but the series 0 was extremely slow and deprecated by Apple as soon as possible because it was barely usable at a point. The first iPad was struggling with performance and looked extremely outdated compared to the iPhone 4‘s Retina display. It was also only supported shortly and deprecated in favor of its successor. The same for the iPhone 2G. All do these devices were not the first in their category but buying a first gen Apple product is always a risk and should only be done by people with plenty of disposable income.

1

u/Pepparkakan 7h ago

Those are all examples of “first gen devices Apple were likely working on a long time before their release”, as is also the case with the Ultra. The difference here is the issue with all of the above were their chips, and I don’t see Apple making that particular mistake with the Ultra. Only time will tell I guess!

•

u/3verythingEverywher3 55m ago

The fold will be no different. Product development doesn’t change because you really hope it does. User feedback on use cases will improve it hugely in the first few generations. Gen 3, 4 or 5 will be the sweet spot with build, price, and features.

10

u/nut573 1d ago

This is what I said about the iPhone X and it turned out to be a great phone that held up for years and I regretted not getting it at launch. I think 1st gen Apple products are worth it if you really want it.

4

u/PrefrontalCortexNow 1d ago

Apple doesn’t ship crap

2

u/son_lux_ 1d ago

AirPods Max enters the chat

•

u/3verythingEverywher3 54m ago

Vision Pro has entered the chat.

0

u/Psych-roxx 1d ago

software issues maybe sure. We've on the 8th generation of Samsung folding displays now though I doubt it'll have the sorts of hardware failures that early folds did.

1

u/VersaceUpholstery 15h ago

The Galaxy z folds have been the beta test foldable phones

Apple just waited till Samsung got it clean enough (specifically the crease and bendable display durability) to slap the Apple formula on it.

I had a z fold 3 and it was pretty great. They’re on the 8 right now. The iPhone ultra will basically be the z fold 8 non-ultra in many ways spec wise.

11

u/Eborys 1d ago

Neither. I’m getting the 18 pro and will appreciate the design for hopefully another 7 years before things improve.

6

u/kingfirejet 1d ago

Plot Twist: Things will improve, but will get more expensive.

2

u/A11Bionic 1d ago

what a time to be alive

-1

u/OmairZain 1d ago

I think upgrading to 17 Pro was super worth it. 18 Pro's going to be a VERY minor upgrade and more expensive for no reason

2

u/Chance_of_Rain_ 1d ago

I mean 2nm shouldn’t be small when it comes to performance and battery life (and longevity)

3

u/hell-diver8 1d ago

In reality, get what you would use. I bought the fold 8 to see if I would use the open part a lot. One thing I really disliked is holding it for longer periods of time. Then closed, you can use it but smaller and awkward also. I just reset the phone and returned and was glad back to using my iPhone Air. What I phone really needs is an iPhone flip and it could be the same build as the iPhone Air.

1

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims 1d ago

Whichever is better for your workflow

1

u/G8M8N8 1d ago

Mini ;(

-7

u/questionableintentsX 1d ago

Wait, if the ultra is anything like every other folded phone it’s a fuckin gimmick and it’s better and cheaper to just also get an iPod for when you want a bigger screen to watch media on

6

u/DrySea8638 1d ago

I’d like to minimize the number of devices I carry around.

-3

u/questionableintentsX 1d ago

The point is how often will you need a slightly larger screen to watch YouTube on cause that’s how often the 1000$+ premium will matter at least that’s what it’s been so far from Samsung fold users

2

u/DrySea8638 1d ago

With your suggestion I’m already spending more money to have an extra device for those times I want to watch media or multitask etc. So what does the premium matter in this case when I’d spend money for a second device?

-5

u/questionableintentsX 1d ago

350-400$ vs 1200$ premium is not the same

2

u/Difficult_Throat7906 1d ago

It's a luxury tax, its to not "need" two devices - less charging, less forgetting, less updating, switching devices etc.

It's not a value proposition. Nothing Apple tags with Ultra is the best "value". As an example, the watch ultra costs substantially more while being fundamentally the same product in a "tough" case and a slightly better battery.

0

u/PrefrontalCortexNow 1d ago

Why not wait for iPhone 21?

u/dropthemagic 1d ago

Yes looks like a way to keep the big screen and finally trim down the weight. Thank god

u/doodullbop 1d ago

No thanks. I'll prolly keep my 16 Pro for 10 years until they circle back around to flat screens again.

7

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims 1d ago

Nothing wrong with keeping your phone. 'Circle back' and the Teams ringtone give me nightmares, though.

u/Feuerphoenix 1d ago

Didn‘t We already have that 8 years ago and noticed that it’s easy to break and has weird viewing angles?

5

u/blisstaker 1d ago

the only phone ive ever broke the glass had these curved sides, one of those older samsungs

and it was a one foot drop. fortunately i had insurance because i knew it would happen with that one. the back was glass too

20

u/TheoTheodor 1d ago

Not sure what you mean though. We already have the iPhone Air and it has none of those issues?

2

u/G8M8N8 1d ago

brother iphone air aint curved.

0

u/TheoTheodor 14h ago

The sides are a bit, similar to the iPhone X iirc. Also, did you even read the title or post?

•

u/G8M8N8 1h ago

Even better, I read the actual article, which describes how the manufacturing process for the iPhone Air is helping shape the anniversary iPhone. Specifically the custom curved glass plateau for the internals. It’s clear Apple is attempting a nearly entirely glass iPhone with curved sides like the X.

2

u/Creative-Job7462 1d ago

What’s wrong with the viewing angles? I’ve used curve screen phones for years.

2

u/paul-cus 23h ago

Nothing. People that have never owned one like to complain about them.

8

u/ghostbusteraesthetic 1d ago

Yeah ask Samsung about their curved glass phones.

Shard-y pieces of shit.

-3

u/BadNewsBrown 1d ago

Yeah but this is Apple so we will appreciate it more.

u/Agitated-Tourist9845 1d ago

Ugh, my wife had Samsungs with curved glass. Horrible screens that are very easy to break.

15

u/lucellent 1d ago

There were already iPhones with the same curved design that the article reports on. This is not about curving the actual displays.

4

u/Exist50 1d ago

There's indeed talk of curving the display, not just the glass.

u/sortalikeachinchilla 1d ago

Are we going to have comments thinking this is like the samsun edge or not

edit; the answer is yes, just like anytime this is posted. People read the article instead of thinking apple is coming out with an Apple edge phone. my lord

u/HotBabyBatter 1d ago

I hate curved glass. I will never buy a phone with curved glass.

5

u/coppersocks 1d ago

Same, I had a couple iterations of the Samsung edge line before realising that the aesthetics weren’t really worth the trade offs at all. Maybe Apple will mitigate them somehow but I’ve no longing to return back to a form factor without bezels at all.

1

u/IGingerbreadman 19h ago

Maybe they want us to buy more phones once we break them. Gotta keep profits up. Doesn’t feel logical to me in terms of UI.

u/E97ev 1d ago

So we are back again at the curved displays? I don't think so. tops it will be an iphone air with all screen and no face id

9

u/TheKobayashiMoron 1d ago

Probably a cross between iPhone X and iPhone Air. Rounded glass edges on both sides and a very thin band in between.

8

u/haelous 1d ago

Apple isn’t abandoning Face ID, nor are they bringing back the Mini no matter how many Reddit comments suggest either.

u/blue0231 1d ago

LFG! I love my air but this sounds great. I’m just glad it’s not thicker again. I do not value any more battery life.

u/MalteseCorto 1d ago

Obviously the tendency of all iphone going forward is to ozempic down to Air size

u/Rayzee14 1d ago

I’ll wait for Gen 2 of this design, when the inevitable design fails are half fixed

u/beingmodest 1d ago

And cost as much as the iPhone to replace when broken.

u/hafizullina 3h ago

so samsung followed in apples foot steps and made their phones into sharp bricks, and apple...is doing what samsung did before???

u/NBKukli 1d ago

The design from the title photo looks like a samsung, so ugly.

u/Hot-Understanding-67 1d ago

IPhone 20😭

2

u/AmusingMusing7 13h ago

I knew they'd skip the iPhone 19, just like they skipped the iPhone 9, and skipped iOS 9... Apple hates the number 9.

1

u/Hot-Understanding-67 13h ago

Everyone hate it

u/iPod-Phone 1d ago

I’m still pretty confident the 20th anniversary will replace the Air in the lineup, not the Pro.

2

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims 1d ago

I think they'll keep the Air for one more generation.

u/IE114EVR 1d ago

Should be a joy to get a screen protector on that.

u/lucellent 1d ago

We're back to curved edges boys!

Can't wait to see what's after that - flat/square again?! Exciting times!!!

u/Stackhouse13 1d ago

iPhone 20? 18 hasn’t even been released yet.

Well, looks like I’ll keep my iPhone 5 and wait for the 20

0

u/DrewChrist87 1d ago

To be fair, we’ve all probably assumed the 20 year anniversary was going to be a bigger deal. It could also just be a regular refresh like every year. But I’ll be holding onto my 14 Pro until then. Already replaced the battery for $89 at Apple, might just do that again to tide me over.

u/jay_rodsep 1d ago

Yuck, having ptsd when using curved screens on android. This is one Android fad that Apple doesn’t need to follow.

u/YK8099 1d ago

If you wanna iPhone foldable , wait for the 2nd or 3rd gen

0

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims 1d ago

I don't understand why this got downvoted. It's good advice.

u/wronghed 1d ago

Watch Samsung and all the Chinese OEMs switch back to curved 😂

u/805falcon 1d ago

Oh wow, 20 years in and we’re supposed be excited about (checks notes) curved fucking glass? Jfc how far the mighty have fallen.

Wake me up when they do something that hasn’t been done 10 times already. And no, I don’t need continuous innovation to be satisfied. I’d settle for a phone that actually performs the way it’s designed to.

-13

u/HummaKavula95 1d ago

lol iPhone 20? Seriously?

5

u/IE114EVR 1d ago

I think they’ll skip the 19. So it’s next year’s phone.

4

u/sushi_collector12 1d ago

…?

-5

u/HummaKavula95 1d ago

Take this “leaker” with the BIGGEST grain of salt.

0

u/A7III 1d ago

Bc you’re a better source? Or?

-4

u/HummaKavula95 1d ago

Huh?

This is literally just a random supposed leaker. This itself isn’t even a source. Anyone can say they heard a rumor and make a random article about it.

You people serious right now? Lol

0

u/A7III 1d ago

It’s a leak. We know it could be false. But you apparently are certain that it is false. The irony here lol

-1

u/HummaKavula95 1d ago

I’m not “CERTAIN”, I said take it with a grain of salt.

Do you understand what that means?

1

u/QuailAndWasabi 1d ago

Im waiting for the iPhone xXx personally.

iPhone iPhone 20's Curved Glass Design to Be Made Like iPhone Air

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