2020 could bring Apple’s largest iPhone screen ever

By

Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter
iOS is designed to hide the screen cutout as much as possible. This might not be necessary next year.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Significant design changes in next year’s top-tier iPhone might push the display size up to 6.7 inches, if an unconfirmed report from a reliable source is correct. This model will also supposedly have no need of a screen cutout — also known as the notch.

The source for this report, Ben Geskin, has a positive reputation for leaking accurate details about Apple products long before their announcement. He was able to show spot-on images of the iPhone 11 months ago, for example.

So it’s worth taking note that Geskin revealed on Twitter, “One of the 2020 iPhone prototypes has 6.7-inch display with Face ID and TrueDepth camera system housed in the top bezel.”

He includes renderS of the rumored device, with a front-facing camera and all the features needed for Face ID packed into a slim strip at the top of the screen.

iPhone size matters

The largest current iOS handset, the iPhone 11 Pro Max, has a 6.5-inch screen. It has almost no bezels so an increase in screen size to 6.7 inches would require making the chassis larger as well. While there are some who already think this iOS model is too big, it’s dwarfed by the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ with a 6.8-inch display.

This isn’t the first unconfirmed report of a 6.7-inch iPhone. Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted this a few months ago. And in June Geskin himself even produced some images of what this larger device could look like compared to the iPhone 11.

Ding dong, the notch is dead. Maybe.

Getting rid of the screen cutout would also slightly increase the display area. While the notch drew criticism when it debuted in the iPhone X, virtually all Apple’s competitors now use screen cutouts in their rival handsets. Most iPhone users have become reconciled to it, but there will surely be few complaints if it can be eliminated.

And “if” is an important word to use here. Geskin stated that the information he has is about a 2020 iPhone prototype. With the iPhone 11 only reaching customer’s hands last week, Apple’s famous Industrial Design team is fairly early in the process of crafting next year’s model. A move to a 6.7-inch screen without a notch is still only a possibility.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.