To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its smartphone, Apple would be preparing an iPhone XX equipped with a completely unprecedented Oled screen. While Samsung Display is working flat out on this next-generation borderless panel, several major technical challenges remain to be overcome to meet the requirements of the Cupertino firm.
Apple is waiting. The apple company is in fact waiting for its historic partner, Samsung Display, to perfect an unprecedented Oled display technology so it can integrate it into its iPhone XX (a suspected name for the 2027 model year). Persistent rumors have long seen this decidedly special device equipped with an exceptional edge-to-edge screen, marking a radical aesthetic break.
“Completely enveloping” 90° OLED screen
This is what the Chinese “leaker” Instant Digital reports, explaining that this technology is described internally as a “total, completely enveloping screen” (full-surround, full-screen, in English in the text). Unlike “waterfall” curved displays, the iPhone XX’s would remain completely flat, with the edges bending to almost 90° on the sides and corners.
The end of black borders and Samsung’s technical challenges
These folded sections are supposed to replace the traditional metal frames. Thus, the wiring elements, usually hidden under the thin black borders, would be moved to the edges. The hoped-for result for Apple is that there will be no visible black border when the iPhone is viewed from the front. But to achieve this result, Apple is waiting for Samsung to finalize this Oled technology. Major challenges still remain, such as optical distortion and color shifts in the corners, ensuring structural strength on the glass edges against impact, and redesigning the antenna layout, which would end up being covered by the screen. An ambitious design, which could be only partially implemented on the iPhone XX before being fully completed only on subsequent generations.
The iPhone XX (if that is indeed its final name) is not expected before autumn 2027 to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the line.
Reminder of the key features of the Apple iPhone XX (rumors):
• Type: smartphone
• Display: borderless “full-surround” Oled (provided by Samsung Display)
• Panel specific feature: edges folded at 90° on the sides, replacing the metal frame
• Goal: complete elimination of black borders on the front
• Estimated release date: autumn 2027 (for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary)