Apple plans major iPhone redesign for 20th anniversary with foldable models and AI enhancements

Apple is set to overhaul its flagship smartphone with a significant redesign for its 20th anniversary in 2027, including foldable models and AI-driven software updates, signalling a new chapter for the device.

Apple is laying the groundwork for a much bigger rethink of the iPhone than the one it is preparing to unveil in the near term, with fresh reporting suggesting that the software due in 2027 will be tightly linked to a dramatic redesign for the handset’s 20th anniversary. Bloomberg has said the company is already developing iOS 28 under the internal name “Bell”, and that the update is expected to serve a far more ambitious hardware shift than the version due this year.

That broader overhaul appears to be tied to Apple’s long-running effort to reinvent its flagship product across several generations. Reporting from The Information suggests Apple is aiming to expand its iPhone family to at least seven models by autumn 2027, up from five now, with a foldable device expected in 2026 and a special anniversary edition following a year later. Other reports say the 2027 model could adopt a curved, more glass-heavy form with a display that wraps around the edges and removes the visible black border that has defined recent iPhones.

The next software release, iOS 27, is expected to focus less on spectacle and more on catching up in artificial intelligence. According to Bloomberg, Apple is preparing a heavy push behind Apple Intelligence and a significantly improved Siri, including deeper awareness of a user’s personal context and the ability to understand what is on screen before acting inside apps. The company is also said to be planning substantial changes to the Camera and Photos apps, with AI-assisted scanning and generative editing tools among the features under discussion.

That would make iOS 27 a bridge release of sorts: a year spent maturing Apple’s AI ambitions while preparing the platform for the more radical design changes due in 2027. Some reports also indicate that the software will include early support for a foldable iPhone, underlining how closely Apple’s operating system roadmap is now being tied to future hardware.

If the current rumours prove accurate, Apple may reserve its biggest visual leap since the iPhone X for the product’s 20th anniversary, with the 2027 model likely to be badged as the iPhone 20 rather than the iPhone 19. The result would be a more evolutionary iPhone 18 generation in the meantime, followed by a handset that is meant to signal a new chapter for the device that has defined Apple’s business for two decades.

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Source: Fuse Wire Services