The revolution is not an easy task. Since the iPhone in 2007, Apple has only finally managed to truly renew its phone once, it was the iPhone the screen. Neither seems ready, and the last city has just fallen behind again.
An iPhone without edges, but not like the others
Scheduled for 2026, the first iPhone with a completely borderless screen would face many technical obstacles, as reported The Elec.
While Apple has managed to gradually reduce the borders of its iPhones, notably with the iPhone 15 Pro then the iPhone 16 Pro, the “zero border” objective seems out of reach at present. Apple is collaborating with Samsung Display and LG Display to launch this new screen technology, but the three giants face many challenges. Unlike the curved screens of Samsung phones or Xiaomi’s “quad-curve waterfall screen” concept, Apple seeks to avoid the “magnifying effect” characteristic of curved screen edges.
Blue iPhone 18 Pro concept by iPhoneSoft.The design Apple is considering deviates from the norm by preserving the flat screen and sharp edges of its iconic iPhone look, while ideally extending the screen to cover the edges in a way close to the aesthetic current status of the Apple Watch. No one will blame them for this, the company led by Tim Cook constantly seeks the best for its customers, which often involves the absence of compromise.
However, the path taken is fraught with pitfalls. Key technologies like thin-film encapsulation (TFE), which protects OLED displays from environmental elements, and optical clear adhesive (OCA), used for bonding around curved edges, require significant advancements. Additionally, ensuring adequate space for critical components such as the 5G antenna poses additional challenges.
According to information from our Korean colleagues, the main sticking point lies in the development of the OCA. Current technology causes side view distortions and does not yet account for potential damage from impacts on this borderless design.
Apple’s original plan was to have these displays ready for mass production of the iPhone 18 in 2026, but with negotiations with display makers still ongoing, it seems unlikely that this timeline will be met. This suggests that the launch of the “all-screen” iPhone, Jony Ive’s dream, could be postponed to 2027 (iPhone 19), or even to 2028 (iPhone 20). Apple would be well advised to launch it no later than 2027, for the twenty years of the model.
