Apple iPhone 20 is expected to have a “micro-curved” OLED display
For the 20th anniversary Apple iPhone 20, Apple has commissioned Samsung to produce a specially designed, micro-curved OLED display that is said to be brighter and thinner than previous panels, according to new information from the supply chain in China.
Apple is reportedly considering a radical redesign of the iPhone for its 20th anniversary, which could include a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges of the device.
Apple iPhone 20 with quadruple curved display
To this end, Apple is reportedly seeking a uniformly deep, quadruple-curved display design from Samsung that utilizes “micro-curves” to keep the curvature very shallow, unlike the aggressively curved “waterfall” edges of some existing Samsung panels.
Apple’s preference for slightly rounded edges may make the Apple iPhone 20 feel more comfortable and allow swipe gestures from the screen’s edge to appear more natural. It could also prevent screen distortion at the edges.
The latest information on the supply chain comes from the Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station, who also claims that Apple has requested a “polarizing” display from Samsung. This refers to a panel design in which the polarizing layer found in most current OLED displays is removed.
Color Filter on Encapsulation
This claim aligns with a report from Korea from September 2025, according to which Apple will use an OLED technology developed by Samsung called COE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) to make the display of the Apple iPhone 20 brighter and thinner than previous panels.
In COE displays, the polarizing film is removed from an OLED panel by applying the color filter directly to the encapsulation layer of the display.
The process reduces the thickness of the entire display stack and allows more light to pass through, improving brightness while simultaneously lowering power consumption. Reflections are more difficult to eliminate without a polarizing film, but Apple has introduced a new anti-reflective coating on the latest iPhones, which is expected to be further improved in future iPhone versions.
Apple is also said to use a crater-shaped light-diffusing layer in the display to balance the brightness, so that the screen appears evenly illuminated across all areas.
The year 2027 marks the 20th anniversary of the iPhone’s market launch, and Apple is reportedly planning to develop a high-quality all-glass model without cutouts in the display.
The display analyst Ross Young assumes that the Apple iPhone 20 will continue to skip on Face ID under the display in 2027. While some believe it will be omitted, other sources consider it possible. If Apple can’t fit all the functions under the display, we could see Face ID under the display and a small cutout for the front camera.
The latest rumors suggest that Apple is still testing an under-display iPhone camera for 2027, so this remains a possibility.
