Leak of Apple's 2027 iPhone reveals tech giant could be getting rid of core feature

Apple is good at many things, but out of the Big Five of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta, it's arguably the most consistent. We've only just had the release of the iPhone 17 line, but those ever-ravenous iPhone fans are looking further ahead than ever.

Unfortunately, it's up there with Rockstar Games in terms of leaks, meaning many of its big reveals are spoiled ahead of time. The much-hyped Liquid Glass overhaul and streamlined iOS 26 numbering were leaked alongside the iPhone 17 Air before Tim Cook got to make them official in 2025, and while we're not quite up there with the infamous iPhone 4 leak, Apple has more holes than a sieve.

Unless something drastic changes, we can expect the iPhone 18 in 2026, followed by an ‘iPhone 19’ in 2027. The thing is, with 2027 marking 20 years since Steve Jobs first unleashed the OG iPhone onto the world, we're guessing something pretty special is on the way.

We've heard a lot about those mythical foldable iPhones coming in 2026, but beyond that, 2027's model has possibly been leaked.

As reported by MacRumors, the Weibo-based Digital Chat Station claims that Apple is working on under-screen camera technology to be integrated in 2027. It's alleged that under-screen Face ID tech is coming in 2026, with cameras getting a major bump the following year.

The outlet notes that several Android phones already have under-display cameras on the front of devices, although this tends to suffer in terms of quality, thanks to being behind layers.

It's speculated that Apple is avoiding the implementation of under-screen cameras until it can come up with a viable solution, although it may have cracked the crux of the issue with 2026's foldable iPhone.

An April 2024 report suggests that LG Innotek has been developing under-display cameras that have no visible hole when not in use. As LG Innotek is a key supplier to Apple in Korea, this might be the solution the tech giant has been looking for.

Supposedly, this method uses a 'freeform optic' multiple lens configuration that improves brightness and reduces image distortion while compensating for the light loss that you'd see from an under-display camera.

Even though it's unclear whether LG Innotek's evolution will make it into the foldable iPhone, JP Morgan recently claimed the revolutionary device will include an industry-defining 24-megapixel camera under the inner display. Remembering that rivals have been limited to four or eight megapixels, Apple could be seriously upping the ante.

MacRumors concludes that Apple is tinkering away on a 'radical redesign' for the iPhone's 20th anniversary, including a bezel-free display that curves around all four edges.

More than this, don't expect to have the iPhone 19 in our hands in 2027. Similar to how the iPhone 9 was swapped out for the iPhone X, the iPhone XX seems a likely option. Then we're again, we're not sure about the idea of a saucy iPhone XXX selling in 2037.