Apple is still planning a glass-centric redesign of its iPhone Pro models for the device’s 20th anniversary in 2027, according to people familiar with the matter, directly countering an analyst report earlier the same day that claimed the project had been canceled over production problems.
The company expects to launch the Pro models next year featuring glass on both the front and back that curves into the sides, sandwiching a thin metal band in the middle. Internally the phones are known as V73 and V74. The design keeps a glassy look while retaining enough structure for mass production.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported the details late Monday, citing sources who asked not to be identified because the work remains confidential. Apple’s product road map has not changed, one of those people said. A company representative declined to comment.
Earlier Monday, Jefferies analyst Edison Lee said in a CNBC-summarized note that supply-chain checks indicated Apple had scrapped an all-glass iPhone planned for the 20th anniversary because of poor production yields. Lee cited the cancellation as a major reason for downgrading Apple shares to Underperform from Hold and cutting his price target. He argued the loss would hinder efforts to push higher average selling prices at a time of rising memory costs.
Gurman’s reporting draws a distinction. Apple’s design studio had championed a more aspirational version that used even more glass in place of metal. That concept was discarded early in the development cycle after engineers ran into problems joining the glass panels and scaling the design to millions of units. The version still moving forward keeps the core glassy aesthetic with the practical metal band.
The 2027 models would mark the biggest visual shift for the iPhone since the iPhone X arrived in 2017, in what The Verge covered at launch as the device’s 10th-anniversary redesign. That earlier redesign eliminated the home button and introduced an edge-to-edge display. The upcoming glass treatment aims for a similar leap, moving the Pro phones closer to the long-discussed ideal of a seamless slab while staying manufacturable.
Lee’s note had suggested Apple intended to extend all-glass features later to the broader Pro and Pro Max lines. Recent reporting has consistently pointed to the glass-heavy design already targeting the 2027 Pro models rather than a separate all-new device. The Bloomberg sources said the overall plan remains intact.
Apple has been developing the anniversary redesign for years under internal references that include Glasswing. Earlier accounts described ambitions for extraordinarily narrow borders and continuous curved glass. Manufacturing realities trimmed the most extreme elements, but the company has retained the central idea of a design dominated by glass.
The clarification arrives as Wall Street remains focused on Apple’s ability to drive higher prices and margins. Memory costs have climbed, and the foldable iPhone expected later this year is viewed by some analysts as the main near-term differentiator. The 2027 glass redesign, if executed as described, would give the Pro lineup a fresh premium identity timed to the product’s two-decade milestone.
Production timelines for a fall 2027 launch leave room for further refinements. For now the sources say the glass-centric approach with the curved panels and metal band is the plan, and the earlier cancellation claim does not reflect Apple’s current roadmap.
