The 20th-anniversary iPhone is rumored to share some design elements with the iPhone Air, with a glass-heavy construction that includes even better cooling capabilities than the ultra-thin model.
Apple is widely anticipated to bring out a 20th-anniversary model of the iPhone in late 2027. While the milestone model is expected to have many upgrades to match its importance, it may also borrow from the iPhone Air.
According to a Saturday post to Weibo by Fixed Focus Digital, the iPhone 20 will be chiefly made from glass. This is something that has surfaced repeatedly in rumors, so isn't much of a departure from current expectations.
However, they go on to say that the mid-frame will be similar to the iPhone Air. It will also be comparably as thin as Apple's svelte smartphone, too.
Earlier rumors for the iPhone 20 include the extensive use of curved glass, as well as elements such as solid-state buttons.
This is not the first time Fixed Focus Digital has linked the iPhone Air to the 20th-anniversary device. In July, they wrote about the "return to glass" and plans to process parts using methods employed for the first-generation Air.
More performance
While the exterior design could copy the iPhone Air, the internals may get a different kind of boost. To Fixed Focus Digital, the heat dissipation plate inside the body will be increased by "one inch."
At face value, this sounds like Apple is including a better thermal management system in the iPhone 20. There is still the problem of determining how this will transpire.
The iPhone 17 Pro line has vapor chamber cooling, which efficiently transports heat away from the A19 Pro to another area. The iPhone Air does not use vapor chamber cooling at all.
There is certainly a case for Apple including vapor chamber cooling in such a thin design, though. In July, the same account claimed the iPhone Fold will use multiple vapor chamber cooling plates.
It's probable that Apple will consider using vapor chamber cooling in an anniversary release, and increasing the volume allocated to cooling would help enable that. The leaker may also be saying that Apple will use vapor-free cooling, but adding in more material to make it more effective.
Fixed Focus Digital has a mixed track record, which correlates with many Weibo-based leakers. They have been successful in the past, such as with the iPhone 16e name, but it has made incorrect predictions too.
