Apple's iPhone 20 may be heading back toward a more glass-heavy design, with a Chinese leaker claiming that a production site has already been renovated for the expected 2027 model.
Fixed Focus Digital said on Weibo that Apple's preferred plan for the rumored iPhone 20 had "returned to glass." The account also said the renovated site was waiting for equipment to begin processing parts with a method similar to the first-generation Air.
The Air reference is unclear, but the supplier details give the rumor more shape. Fixed Focus Digital named Biel Crystal as the likely main supplier, with BYD and Lens Technology also involved.
The account said manufacturers could adapt older equipment once used for glass backed iPhone Pro models instead of installing entirely new machinery. Fixed Focus Digital didn't identify the facility, the components involved or whether trial production had begun.
The supplier lineup points more naturally to exterior glass or enclosure work than to the OLED panel itself. Earlier reports have linked Samsung Display and LG Display to the anniversary iPhone's curved screen, while Biel Crystal and Lens Technology are associated with cover glass and related components.
Fixed Focus Digital's wording doesn't mean Apple is building an iPhone from one continuous piece of glass. "Returned to glass" could describe a larger rear panel, a different enclosure design or a move away from the mixed construction used on the iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple's anniversary iPhone is already taking shape
Apple's 2027 iPhone has long been expected to bring the lineup's biggest redesign in years. Previous reports have described a mostly glass device with a nearly edge-to-edge display, curved sides and fewer visible interruptions across the front.
A May 21 report said Apple had begun production evaluation for a 2027 iPhone with a display curved on all four sides. The earlier production report doesn't confirm Fixed Focus Digital's claims, but it adds context to the account's assertion that suppliers are already preparing manufacturing facilities.
The Air reference is unclear, but the supplier details give the rumor more shapeA renovated production site still isn't the same as a finished design or active trial production. Apple's suppliers can prepare machinery while engineering work continues, and manufacturing plans can change before mass production begins.
Conflicting display rumors also leave major questions unresolved. Some reports describe a genuinely curved OLED panel, while others say Apple could place a flat screen beneath molded cover glass to create a curved, nearly bezel-free appearance.
Fixed Focus Digital's post doesn't resolve the conflicting display reports. The Weibo account says only that glass has returned as Apple's preferred plan and that manufacturers could reuse older equipment for production.
A major redesign in 2027 would echo Apple's approach to the iPhone's 10th anniversary. The iPhone X removed the Home button and reduced the display bezels, setting the direction for the models that followed.
Apple hasn't announced the name of its 2027 lineup, and "iPhone 20" remains an unofficial label for the expected anniversary model.
Fixed Focus Digital has a mixed record on Apple rumors. The account correctly predicted the iPhone 16e name but wrongly claimed the standard iPhone 17 would receive a 120Hz display without ProMotion.
