Nearly frameless front face, curved glass on all sides
Twenty years after the iPhone reshaped how humanity relates to technology, Apple is preparing a milestone celebration that speaks in the language it knows best: design and silicon. In 2027, two nearly frameless anniversary models and a refined foldable device will arrive together, all powered by the same 2-nanometer A21 chip — a coordinated statement that the company intends its second decade to begin as boldly as its first.
- Apple is treating the iPhone's 20th anniversary not as a commemoration but as a design reckoning, pushing toward fully borderless, curved-glass displays that the industry has long anticipated.
- The simultaneous launch of three premium devices — two anniversary iPhones and a second-generation foldable — creates an unusually concentrated moment of hardware ambition, compressing what might have been a multi-year rollout into a single cycle.
- Unifying all three devices under the same A21 chip signals Apple's intent to make 2-nanometer manufacturing the new baseline for its most serious hardware, rather than a differentiator reserved for one tier.
- Even as Apple orchestrates this flagship surge, a separate iPhone 19 with a variant A21 chip confirms the company is preserving its familiar product hierarchy — spectacle at the top, accessibility below.
Apple is preparing what may be its most symbolically significant iPhone launch in the device's history. According to Bloomberg, two flagship anniversary models are set to arrive in 2027 in 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch sizes, stepping into the roles currently held by the Pro and Pro Max lines. Their defining feature will be an edge-to-edge display wrapped in curved glass on all sides — a nearly frameless face that represents the furthest Apple has yet pushed its long pursuit of maximizing screen and minimizing bezel.
Powering both anniversary iPhones will be the A21 chip, built on a 2-nanometer manufacturing process. That same processor will also appear in a second-generation foldable iPhone launching alongside them — a notable convergence that positions 2-nanometer silicon as the shared foundation for Apple's entire premium tier. The current iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, arriving this September with the A20 Pro, will mark Apple's first node upgrade in several years, making 2027's lineup a natural next step in that progression.
The foldable's inclusion is telling. Rather than treating it as a separate experiment, Apple appears to be folding it — literally and strategically — into its flagship moment, suggesting the category has matured enough to stand beside the company's most celebrated hardware. Meanwhile, a more conventional iPhone 19 will carry a base variant of the A21, preserving Apple's traditional stratification between its cutting-edge and broadly accessible devices.
By 2027, the iPhone will have spent two decades reshaping how people live and communicate. Apple has historically used such milestones to issue design statements that reverberate across the industry. These borderless, 2-nanometer-powered devices appear built to do exactly that.
Apple is moving into high gear on what will be its most symbolically loaded iPhone launch in years. According to Bloomberg's reporting, the company is preparing two flagship models to mark the device's twentieth anniversary, both arriving in 2027 with the kind of design overhaul that typically signals a major generational shift. The phones will come in two sizes—6.3 inches and 6.9 inches—positioning them as direct successors to the Pro and Pro Max tiers that have anchored Apple's premium lineup.
The defining visual feature will be an edge-to-edge display wrapped in curved glass on all sides, creating what amounts to a nearly frameless front face. This represents a continuation of Apple's long push toward maximizing screen real estate while minimizing the physical bezels that once defined smartphone design. The company has been chasing this aesthetic for years; these anniversary models appear to represent another significant step in that direction.
What makes this cycle particularly interesting is the hardware that will power these devices. Both anniversary iPhones will run on Apple's A21 chip, manufactured using a 2-nanometer process. This same processor will also appear in a second-generation foldable iPhone that Apple plans to release alongside the anniversary models. The move to 2-nanometer represents a meaningful jump—Apple's current flagship iPhones, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max arriving this September, will use the A20 Pro chip built on the same 2-nanometer process, marking the company's first node upgrade in several years after years of relying on 3-nanometer manufacturing.
The foldable device itself represents Apple's second attempt at the category. The company's first foldable has already established the basic form factor; this generation will presumably refine it with the performance gains that come from the newer chip. The fact that Apple is launching three major devices simultaneously—two anniversary iPhones and a new foldable—all sharing the same processor generation suggests a coordinated push to establish 2-nanometer as the standard for Apple's most ambitious hardware.
Separate from this premium tier, Apple is also developing an iPhone 19 that will use a different variant of the A21 chip, likely a base model rather than a Pro-tier processor. This suggests Apple is maintaining its traditional product stratification even as it prepares its most significant milestone celebration. The company's roadmap through 2027 reveals a clear strategy: premium devices get the cutting-edge silicon and design innovations, while the broader market receives capable but less exotic variants of the same fundamental architecture.
The timing matters. By 2027, the iPhone will have been on the market for two decades—long enough that the anniversary carries genuine weight in tech history. Apple has a history of marking such moments with design statements that echo through the industry. These phones, with their borderless displays and advanced manufacturing, appear positioned to do exactly that.
Citas Notables
Apple is ramping up work on the 20th anniversary iPhone that it plans to launch next year— Bloomberg reporting
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Apple need two sizes for the anniversary models? Why not just one flagship?
Because the Pro and Pro Max split has become how Apple segments its premium market. Some people want the smaller phone; some want the larger one. By offering both at the anniversary tier, Apple signals that this is the definitive version of the iPhone, not a niche product.
The curved glass on all sides—is that actually better, or is it just aesthetics?
It's mostly aesthetics, honestly. Curved edges look more refined and feel less chunky in hand, but they're also more fragile and harder to repair. Apple is betting that the visual payoff justifies the engineering complexity.
What's the significance of moving to 2-nanometer?
It's the first real node jump in years. Smaller nanometer means more transistors in the same space, which means better performance and efficiency. It's the kind of upgrade that usually happens every two or three years, but Apple had been stretching it out. This is them catching up.
Why put the same chip in the foldable?
Because the foldable needs to be as powerful as the flagship to justify its price. If it had a slower chip, it would feel like a compromise device. By using the A21 across both, Apple is saying the foldable is a peer to the anniversary iPhone, not a secondary product.
Is the iPhone 19 going to feel outdated if it gets a base A21 instead of the Pro version?
Not really. The base A21 will still be plenty fast for most people. The real difference is that the anniversary phones and foldable will have slightly higher performance ceilings. It's the same strategy Apple has always used—create a performance tier gap that justifies the price difference.