This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: fresh details on Apple’s biggest new iPhone models coming in the next two years, the ‘iPhone 20’ and iPhone Fold. Here are the latest Apple rumors.
iPhone Fold’s design will follow the iPhone Air’s example
Now that Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is here, it has brought a little clarity around a new model coming next year: the iPhone Fold.
This week, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reported that the iPhone Fold’s design will look a lot like the just-released iPhone Air.
As for how the foldable iPhone will look, I am increasingly told that users should imagine two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side. In other words, it’s going to be super thin and a design achievement.
My takeaways
Gurman’s report very much lines up with what prior rumors have indicated. iPhone Fold will have a sleek, titanium design just like the newly released iPhone Air.
In fact, the latest rumors indicate iPhone Fold will actually be significantly thinner than even the Air—at least when unfolded.
Current expectations are for a 4.5–4.8mm thin iPhone Fold vs. the 5.6mm of the iPhone Air.
As someone who owns and loves the iPhone Air, I’m all the more excited by the prospect of Apple’s first foldable iPhone.
‘iPhone 20’ could use new display tech for all-glass design
This week, a ETNews published a report focused on future Samsung smartphones. But it included an interesting detail about one of Apple’s most anticipated products: the 20th anniversary ‘iPhone 20.’
Per ETNews, “Apple plans to apply COE to bar-type smartphones in 2027 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iPhone launch.”
What is COE? A cutting-edge display technology.
Here’s my colleague Ben:
Although we typically think of OLED screens as having color light-emitting diodes, they actually use white emitters with RGB color filters on top in order to create the colors, adding a layer. What Samsung has developed is a method of combining the light-emitting and color filter functionality into a single glass board: color filter on encapsulation (CoE). This makes displays both thinner and brighter.
My takeaways
It truly sounds like Apple is preparing something special for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary.
iPhone X was such a major leap forward for the iPhone back in 2017. It made the also-new iPhone 8 model look instantly outdated by several years.
I don’t expect nearly the same level of advancement from the ‘iPhone 20.’ But getting a truly all-glass design that wraps around the edges sounds fascinating.
And if a thinner, brighter display enables Apple to slim the device even further down, that could prove very compelling.
What are your takeaways from this week’s Apple rumors? Let us know in the comments.
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