Apple has reportedly cancelled development of a radically redesigned all-glass iPhone intended for the device's 20th anniversary, following severe mass production obstacles.
Edison Lee, an analyst at investment firm Jefferies, reported that the technology company halted work on the landmark concept after encountering technical challenges while preparing for serial manufacturing.
Leaked details indicated that the anniversary handset was engineered to be the first iPhone without visible bezels. The conceptual device featured an OLED screen curved on all four sides, front-facing camera sensors and Face ID embedded beneath the display, and an audio playback system operating without traditional speaker cutouts.
Display Manufacturing Hurdles
According to industry sources, the primary hurdle involved a low yield rate of usable display panels. OLED screens produced by Samsung exhibited noticeable image distortion and lost brightness along their curved edges, rendering mass production impractical and financially unviable.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, introduced the original iPhone in 2007 and relies on Samsung Electronics as a key supplier of organic light-emitting diode displays for its smartphone lineup.
Financial and Product Roadmap Impact
Jefferies analysts noted that abandoning the ambitious project could affect Apple's broader financial performance. The anniversary smartphone had been projected to sell at around $2,060, positioning it as the most expensive iPhone model to date and helping the company offset rising component costs.
The decision comes after Apple achieved a historical financial milestone by reaching a market capitalization of $5 trillion for the first time.
Despite scrapping the all-glass concept, upcoming flagship models from Apple are still rumoured to feature noticeable hardware upgrades. These additions reportedly include an increased amount of random-access memory (RAM), a new battery type, and a 200-megapixel camera system.
The details regarding future camera upgrades follow a recent cyberattack on an Apple supply chain partner, which exposed technical specifications for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro camera system.
