One day after the alleged cancellation, a rebuttal has been issued. The glass-centric anniversary model remains on schedule for September 2027, it now states. Only an even more radical preliminary version was scrapped – and that early in the development process, not at the last minute.
On Monday, an analyst report caused a stir: the glass model expected for the iPhone's 20th anniversary had been scrapped due to insufficient production yield. A day later, a Bloomberg report contradicted this, stating that the project remained on track for 2027. Thus, within 24 hours, two accounts emerged that could hardly have been more different. The casing material is one of the few points of agreement across all the rumors surrounding the iPhone 20 – and is therefore the point of contention precisely where the reports have been most consistent so far.
Key Facts at a Glance
- According to a Bloomberg report, the glass-centered anniversary iPhone is still planned for September 2027.
- According to reports, only one concept stage with an even higher proportion of glass was scrapped, and this happened early in the development process.
- The device should feature glass that bends around the edges, held in place by a narrow metal band in the center of the casing.
- An analyst note from Jefferies had claimed the opposite the previous day, citing insufficient yield as the reason.
- Design changes so close to the unveiling would be unusual, because Apple typically finalizes the design about a year in advance.
What the new report claims
According to Bloomberg, the anniversary model is still under development and is scheduled for the usual September 2027 release date. The term "all-glass" should never be taken literally: the frame, circuit board, and internal components remain unchanged; the glass will simply wrap around the edges of the case and be supported by a metal band in the center.
The second part of the report is interesting. Apple had originally aimed for an even higher proportion of glass, but abandoned this concept early in the development process. What is slated for release in 2027 would therefore already be a toned-down version of a once more radical design – and not the result of a last-minute emergency measure.
This aligns with an argument the report itself makes: such late schedule changes would be unusual for Apple, because the design of an iPhone is typically finalized about a year before its unveiling. A case concept scrapped in August 2026 for September 2027 would contradict this pattern.
Four news items in just under two months
The contradiction comes at a time when reports about the anniversary model have become noticeably more frequent. A side-by-side comparison reveals the following picture:
| Date | Origin | Key message |
|---|---|---|
| 16.06.2026 | Bloomberg | Anniversary model with a virtually borderless display and curved glass on the sides |
| 14.07.2026 | Weibo leak (Fixed Focus Digital) | The production facility for the glass design has been renovated and is ready for use. |
| 10.08.2026 | Jefferies (Edison Lee) | Glass model cancelled due to low yield, stock downgraded |
| 11.08.2026 | Bloomberg | The project remains on schedule for September 2027. |
The report from July, stating that a factory for the glass design was ready, originated from the supply chain and was not independently verified even then. However, it fits better with the current counter-argument than with the cancellation claim. The same applies to the prototype with a fully curved display, which was supposedly undergoing testing in May.
What the dispute is actually about
Part of the conflict likely lies in the term itself. "All-glass" has been used for very different things over the past twelve months: sometimes for a completely uninterrupted front without a Dynamic Island, sometimes for a casing where the glass extends over all four edges. Display analyst Ross Young hasn't considered the first variant ready for production by 2027 since the beginning of the year and expects the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro to remain in use until then.
Edison Lee's note leaves open which of the two interpretations is meant – whether the entire anniversary redesign is to be scrapped or only its glass component. The new report fills precisely this gap: A maximalist concept that was rejected early on and a glass casing that is still planned are not mutually exclusive.
It remains unclear what will become of the most ambitious part of the design. Whether Face ID and the front camera will actually disappear completely under the display in 2027, or whether a small cutout will remain, is not answered by the new report either. Since spring, it has been considered likely that the anniversary model will be distributed across the Pro models rather than a separate special edition device.
Why the two sources carry different weight
Both accounts remain unconfirmed, but they differ in their methodology. One analyst report relies on inferences drawn from order volumes and conversations within the supply chain—an indirect approach that reveals manufacturing problems early on but easily mistakes a concept stage for a complete product. Bloomberg, on the other hand, has built up a high success rate with Apple's product plans over the years and reports more closely on internal decision-making processes. For the question of whether a project exists, this is the more reliable source; for the question of its manufacturing viability, it is the weaker one.
In practical terms, this means that your purchase decision this fall remains unchanged. If you opt for the iPhone 18 Pro in September, you'll be choosing a device whose design has long been finalized. And because Apple usually finalizes the iPhone's casing design roughly a year before its unveiling, we expect the glass issue to remain unresolved until spring 2027 – when production of the casing components begins and suppliers provide concrete figures for the first time. Until then, further reports in both directions are likely, without any single one definitively settling the matter.
The amplification effect is remarkable. The downgrade of the stock on Monday resulted in a lowered price target of $263.66 and a significant price drop. An unconfirmed statement about a casing material that won't be unveiled for at least thirteen months has thus moved billions of dollars in value within hours.
Apple's glass bet remains in place
None of this has been confirmed, and Apple generally doesn't comment on unannounced products. What has changed this week is the burden of proof: Following the rebuttal, the next announcement would have to explain why a project consistently described for over a year should suddenly fail now. Until then, the design concept that Apple described with Liquid Glass in the software Prepared since iOS 26, the most plausible motive behind the design is a casing that physically replicates the system's interface. (Image: Apfelpatient)
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