An imperfect iPhone 20 Pro display
As has been reported before, Apple wants to make the iPhone 20 Pro ship with an edge-to-edge display unlike any seen before. A beautiful borderless experience that does not distort the contents of the screen. The display is supposed to feel like it’s floating above the phone.In addition, there would be no Dynamic Island. No punch holes, either. Nothing. The most perfect smartphone screen ever to grace our eyes.
According to a new report (translated source), the display being used in next year’s iPhone will run the risk of distortion at the curved edges. Additionally, the brightness of the panel will also be affected.
Apple is already planning a successor
Apple is also, of course, busy with the foldable iPhone Ultra. | Image by Ben Geskin
Apparently, the kind of display that Apple actually wanted for the iPhone 20 Pro is not yet possible. LG Display and Samsung Display are readying their facilities to produce a better version of this display in 2028 for a successor to the iPhone 20 Pro at Apple’s behest.
According to the report, the company is willing to accept this compromised version of its original vision just so that it can push out the iPhone 20 Pro for the 20th anniversary of its most important product. Apple is probably also betting on most of the average consumer base not really noticing the decrease in quality, if I had to guess.
So it is, in fact, the iPhone 21 Pro — or whatever that year’s model ends up being called — that will feature the display that Apple wanted for 2027. This, unfortunately, parallels the iPhone 18 Pro situation as well.
The imperfect iPhone 18 Pro
What the iPhone 18 Pro is supposed to look like. | Image by Ice Universe
Apple wants to release the iPhone 18 Pro with a smaller Dynamic Island. The company intends to achieve this by moving the Face ID components below the display.
This would get people used to the idea of iPhone parts being shifted below the screen, preparing them for the cutout-free display of the iPhone 20 Pro.
Unfortunately, according to the latest reports, the under-display Face ID components that Apple has tested have performed less than ideally. The facial recognition is inaccurate and often sluggish.
This is not a feature that Apple is okay compromising on. As such, the iPhone 18 Pro will likely fail to ship with a smaller Dynamic Island, similar to how the iPhone 20 Pro will fail to ship with the kind of display that Apple had been hoping for.
Another worry for the iPhone 20 Pro
I was really hoping we were done with display cutouts. | Image by PhoneArena
There’s another detail — or, more accurately, lack thereof — that is worrying here, especially for me. The report makes no mention of under-display Face ID and selfie cameras.
Recent renders being shared by people with ties to the supply chain show an iPhone 20 Pro with the curved display present and correct but also sporting a punch-hole camera at the top. I originally took this as conjecture, but this report now has me worried.
If Apple has postponed its plans to make a cutout-free display, then I don’t care much for the borderless screen either. The breakthrough here, to my mind, was the fact that the smartphone industry would once again prioritize making displays without any distractions.
If the iPhone 18 Pro fails to meet expectations, and the iPhone 20 Pro fails to meet expectations as well, then what exactly is Apple planning to woo us with?
