The ‘all screen’ iPhone could be Apple’s most ambitious launch, with the lineup featuring flagships that will flaunt just a single sheet of glass, with the design overhaul commemorating the technology giant’s 20th anniversary of this product category. Based on the current timeline, we only have to wait for two more generations until Apple brings that full-screen experience to the masses, but a display analyst estimates that it will take the company at least half a decade to achieve this goal. During this period, the iPhone will undergo three phases, gradually offering that embellished design.

The iPhone design in 2026 will include a smaller pill-shaped cutout, with Apple finding a way to reduce the Face ID components to fit in that compact space

A previous rumor claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max launching next year will forego the pill-shaped cutout, embracing a punch-hole, while the Face ID components will be found underneath the display. However, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) founder and CEO Ross Young believes otherwise, stating that this change will happen in 2028, when the iPhone 20 series will materialize.

As for what we should expect next year, Young claims that the pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone 18 will be smaller, with the Face ID components reduced to fit in that tiny space. By 2030, which is more than five years from now, the display analyst estimates Apple will finally introduce that elusive ‘all screen’ iPhone, where the front size will not feature any cutout of any sort, with the selfie camera and Face ID components all embedded beneath the OLED screen.

Knowing Apple and Young’s impeccable track record, we fear that we must wait an exceptionally long time for the ultimate iPhone to grace us. The California-based giant is known to introduce minute changes with every generation, with the iPhone 16 series offering little to no external makeovers apart from equipping ‘Pro’ models with slightly bigger panels.

It is possible that Apple takes several years to bring that ‘all screen’ iPhone is because it has to scale past the image degradation problem that occurs when the front camera is placed behind the OLED. Additionally, there is no way to tell how accurately Face ID will function when all relevant parts are behind that panel, so we cannot blame Apple for taking its sweet time.

News Source: Ross Young