This is what the iPhone 20 should look like! The Android scene abandoned this look years ago, next year we'll probably see a return

We already buried curved displays once. Samsung abandoned them with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, recycled the Edge brand to denote thinness, and straightened the edges on the sides — just like practically everyone else. Waterfall displays, which Huawei once boasted about, ended up in the archive next to pop-up selfie cameras. And now fresh leaks are coming in, claiming that this is exactly what will be the big revolution of 2027.

What is actually expected

The source is the usual lineup of Chinese leakers like Digital Chat Station and Ice Universe, who claim that several “new generation” display prototypes are being tested by panel suppliers. Enthusiasts immediately linked them to specific phones expected to arrive in 2027. It’s probably unnecessary to emphasize that this is currently speculation built on speculation — from a test sample in a lab to a product on the shelf is a very long journey.

Naturally, Apple is garnering the most attention. 2027 will mark the 20th anniversary of the first iPhone from 2007, and the company reportedly wants to celebrate it with a phone featuring a “quad-curved” display — glass that flows over all four edges to make the phone appear visually bezel-less. The goal is reportedly a panel completely free of cutouts: both Face ID and the front camera are supposed to disappear under the display. Whether Apple will manage this by 2027 is an open question, with some leakers betting that at least a small punch-hole for the selfie camera will remain.

It’s interesting how leakers are pushing back against the past. Ice Universe claims that it won’t be a classic rounded display like we’ve seen on Androids for years, but an extremely subtle curvature, complemented by optical tricks so that the bezel disappears from view and the edges remain stable when reading. In other words: yes, it’s a curved edge, but please don’t think of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

And what about Android? It will reportedly follow Apple again

A second, broader prototype is attributed to Huawei, which is reportedly preparing a flagship for 2027 with a display stretched to the edges and possibly an unconventional aspect ratio. Xiaomi, meanwhile, is reportedly testing bezels as thin as 0.35 millimeters — the Xiaomi 18 might be a candidate for such a display. The pursuit of a phone that is entirely screen is thus running on multiple fronts simultaneously.

The question of “who will be first” has a rather predictable answer. Android traditionally overtakes Apple in hardware experiments — Huawei recently demonstrated this by launching its wide-angle Pura X Max before Apple could announce its foldable iPhone. Apple rarely introduces technology first. However, it usually does so when it can sell it as a given, and the rest of the industry then quickly catches up to a direction it itself had rejected for years.

Something we were happy to let go of is returning

It’s worth remembering why curved edges disappeared in the first place. Accidental touches on the edge, reflections on the curved glass, poorer readability near the edge, and most importantly, significantly more expensive repairs — these weren’t reviewer fantasies, but practical reasons why the market returned to flat panels. The fact that this is now being prepared as a premium novelty costing tens of thousands is a kind of circle closing.

Perhaps it will turn out better this time. If manufacturers can truly manage a curvature so subtle that the old ailments disappear, and at the same time hide cameras under the display without loss of quality, we would get the look that every concept of the last ten years has promised.

Would you like curved displays back, or do flat edges suit you?

Source: Notebookcheck