The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are definitely the best phones Apple has ever made, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should rush out to buy one. In fact, there's a strong case to be made for waiting another year and picking up the iPhone 20 instead.
The 20th anniversary model is expected to follow in the iPhone X's footsteps, with Apple reportedly releasing a device that will set the standard for the next decade of iPhone flagships. This means if you've found yourself disappointed with the level of upgrades Apple has offered over the past few years, the iPhone 20 could make up for a lot of it.
Here are nine reasons why you should skip the iPhone 18 Pro and wait for the iPhone 20.
Quad-curved, all-glass display
The most noticeable iPhone 20 change is shaping up to be the quad-curved all-glass display. While a screen with four curved edges is fairly common among Chinese brands, it never really took off in the U.S. and other regions. However, Apple's version is a little different.
The design reportedly wraps around all four corners, connecting with a separate glass back-plate to give the illusion that this device is made from nothing but glass. Obviously, the interior will still have the usual metal frame and other components, but it should ensure the iPhone 20 is one of the most visually striking phones Apple has made in a while.
Better OLED screens
The iPhone 20's design may not be the only thing changing about the screen. Apple is rumored to be offering new OLED display panels that are brighter and thinner than what we have now. The panels themselves are expected to come from Samsung, complete with the Color Filter on Encapsulation (COE, not to be confused with the Church of England) technology.
This tech is said to be able to reduce the thickness of the display itself, while also allowing more light through. This improves the overall brightness, but in a way that doesn't increase the power consumption. Considering how much battery power a phone display can use, this could potentially be a massive win for battery life.
Under display Face ID and cameras
We know Apple can make under-display cameras, since it's added that technology to the iPhone Duo's foldable display. One of the long-standing rumors for the iPhone 20 is that both the camera and Face ID will vanish beneath the display, offering a true, uninterrupted display — though the Dynamic Island may still stick around.
Face ID hardware has slowly been making that migration for a few years, and it makes sense Apple would be ready to make the jump next year. The camera is a different matter, especially with under-display cameras' reputation for mediocre quality. Even the iPhone Duo's hidden camera is only designed for FaceTime and video calls, and it's unclear whether Apple can fix that issue before next year.
Solid state buttons
There have been rumors circulating about Apple switching from mechanical to solid-state buttons for years, and iPhone 20 could be the year it finally happens. Such a move would see traditional buttons replaced with haptic alternatives that are built directly into the device itself — which would aid that uninterrupted glass look.
Those buttons would not have any moving parts, which has two benefits. Fewer chances to break down, and fewer gaps in the frame that could be damaged and invite water or dust inside the phone. All while retaining a tactile button-like response from the built-in haptic feedback.
A21 Pro
One thing we can all but guarantee is the inclusion of the A21 Pro chipset. As is the case with new Apple chips, this will likely come with increased computing and graphical performance, alongside gains in AI processing.
The level of improvement isn't clear right now, but we should expect the iPhone 20 to be the most powerful iPhone Apple has made — and among the most powerful phones on sale. Naturally, we should also expect improvements to power consumption and energy efficiency, which should in turn improve the overall battery life.
No Qualcomm modems in sight
While Apple was keen to hype up the addition of the C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro series, it turns out that Qualcomm modems are still being utilized. iFixit teardowns revealed that the iPhone 18 Pro Max still uses a Qualcomm modem, and they have a reputation for being a little power-hungry.
The reason Apple hasn't ditched Qualcomm in its entirety is all very legal. Suffice it to say Apple was obligated to continue using some Qualcomm modems in its devices until this year. As far as we know, the end of 2026 means Apple is free to use its own modems across the entire iPhone lineup — including iPhone 20.
Silicon carbon batteries
More and more phones are adopting Silicon Carbon battery technology, and the iPhone 20 could be the first Apple smartphone to make the switch. These batteries use a silicon-coated anode and are able to offer much better energy density as a result. Effectively meaning Apple can reduce the size of the iPhone 20 battery without lowering the actual capacity in the process.
OnePlus 15 did this with its monster 7,300 mAh battery, without adding any meaningful amount of weight or thickness to the phone. Samsung did it with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 too, increasing the total battery capacity while maintaining a sleek, thin foldable profile. So there's little reason for Apple not to follow suit.
Better cameras
Apple could be developing a stacked image sensor for the iPhone 20's cameras, effectively replacing the Sony sensors iPhones have relied on for years. The benefit of this is that the camera would be able to capture even more detail in bright and darker areas, without losing any information in the process. In other words, better picture quality and dynamic range rolled into one.
It's also been rumored that Apple may copy Samsung and adopt a 200MP main camera on the iPhone 20 — up from 48MP on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. It seems like quite a big leap, especially since Apple generally focuses on improving photography software, but if it's going to happen, it might as well be on the iPhone 20.
New screen sizes
The all-glass displays also mean the iPhone 20 could come with slightly larger screens. A recent rumor from Digital Chat Station claims that the iPhone 20 Pro will feature a 6.41-inch display, and the Pro Max model will have a 6.96-inch display. That's up from a respective 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Both new phones are rumored to come with resolutions of 2,686 x 1,236 and 2,912 x 1,340 — suggesting that they will be incrementally taller and wider as a result of the larger screen. Not by much, but that extra screen space has to come from somewhere, right?
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