New iPhone roadmap reveals timing of three big design changes

6 hours ago 1

We’re just a few months away from Apple’s launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. But an analyst with expertise in displays just shared a roadmap for three design changes coming with future iPhones, starting next year.

The road to an all-screen iPhone may be longer than expected

Apple has a lot of big changes coming to the iPhone in the next few years.

But new expectations published by supply chain analyst Ross Young indicate some of the updates may not arrive on the timeline we’d previously expected.

Ross Young writes on X on the iPhone’s journey to an all-screen design, with no cutout:

Probably 3 stages:
2026 – smaller notch as some under panel Face ID elements remain in the notch rather than transparent under the panel.

2028 – all under panel Face ID elements except the selfie camera are hidden under the panel without a notch. Selfie camera remains separate

2030 – selfie camera under the panel. No punch hole or notch.

Young has a strong track record in matters related to displays. However, his listed timeline differs from what we’ve seen reported by other sources.

For example, The Information has indicated certain 2026 iPhone 18 models would lose the Dynamic Island entirely and get a new hole punch in the top-left corner. This has been corroborated by other sources too.

Young doesn’t see that happening until 2028, with next year only shrinking the Dynamic Island to some unspecified degree.

Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is developing an all-screen 20th anniversary iPhone model, with 2027 targeted.

Per Young, the first all-screen iPhone design is much farther out, with an expected 2030 arrival.

9to5Mac’s Take

How should we interpret these differing reports?

With iPhone models that are more than a year away, Apple is no doubt still constantly making changes to its design plans. For example, recently Ming Chi-Kuo said Apple hasn’t yet nailed down all the components for its first foldable iPhone, despite an expected fall 2026 launch.

If Apple’s plans have indeed changed, we should see corroborating updates from other sources about these changes in the weeks ahead. However, I hope that’s not the case, as a five-year wait for the first truly all-screen iPhone seems an awfully long time.

What do you think about Young’s roadmap for iPhone design changes? Let us know in the comments.