Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone could use this breakthrough camera tech

The iPhone 20 could be one of the biggest leaps forward yet for Apple when it launches in 2027. And we just got more ammunition with another rumored upgrade.

Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claims that (via machine translation): "Apple plans to release an under-display front camera on its smartphones in 2027." 2027 marks the 20-year anniversary of the iPhone, fitting in with previous claims that Apple will do something special to mark the occasion, similar to how we first saw the iPhone X simultaneously ditch the Home button and introduce Face ID when it arrived in 2017.

Under-display cameras have not had a good track record up until now. The Android phones we've seen use under-display camera (UDC) technology, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 or phones made by ZTE, Nubia and RedMagic, produce disappointing images compared to regular selfie cameras.

But Apple is apparently looking into ways of upping UDC image quality for its own attempt. Previous reports on Apple's activities in this area have claimed the company is looking at new lens types to account for the display layer that an under-display camera has to shoot through.

Other sources have indicated that Apple's first under-display cameras could appear on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold next year, at least for the Face ID sensors if not the actual selfie camera. If we do get UDCs on these phones, then it follows that the following year's iPhone would use them too.

Other rumored iPhone 20 features

While Apple may not be able to tout an under-display camera as a big upgrade for the iPhone 20, this model could still have plenty of unique features compared to the iPhones that preceded it. Other leaks are claiming that Apple will offer a full edge-to-edge display that curves over all four edges of the iPhone 20, with no bezels or physical buttons in sight.

We've got almost two years to wait until we hit the iPhone's twentieth birthday, which means there's still lots of room for more rumors to appear and change our impression of what to expect from the iPhone 20. But as of right now, it's looking increasingly likely that Apple is going to go from introducing Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017 to completely hiding it on the iPhone 20. Or should that be iPhone XX?

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