It’s no secret that Apple would love to make an all-screen iPhone, but the technology just isn’t quite there yet. Reportedly, it’ll take another five years to become a reality
That’s according to the latest rumors from Apple’s supply chain, suggesting the company has already planned how to get there, with a series of smaller design changes culminating in a full-screen iPhone display with no holes in 2030.
This journey started back in 2017 with the iPhone X, a bold redesign that ditched the bezels at the top and bottom of the device in favour of a sleeker, almost-full-screen design. That brought with it the “notch” – Apple’s solution to housing the selfie camera and Face ID sensors. Over time, the notch shrunk and became the “dynamic island.”
Last week, display expert @DSCCRoss leaked Apple’s plans: no changes to the notch this year, but a smaller notch in 2026 as several sensors can be hidden under the display. Then by 2028 the company should be able to hide all of the Face ID components under the screen, shrinking the notch to a circular pinhole cutout in the corner of the display, housing the front-facing camera. Finally, in 2030, the sources believe Apple will have the capability to hide the camera system under the screen too, without sacrificing image quality.
That sequence has been visualized by @filipvabrousek below, including a change in the casing itself from 2027 based off another rumor. This all seems fairly likely, especially backed by industry leaks – but as ever, take these projections with a pinch of salt. Apple could very easily change course over the next five years.
On the one hand, we’re pretty excited by the prospect of an iPhone where the display truly covers the entire face of the device. But once that technology becomes commonplace in the 2030s, smartphones will be even less distinct from one another than they are now – shiny featureless rectangles.