The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are definitely the best phones Apple has ever made, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should go out and buy one. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made for waiting another year and picking up the iPhone 20 instead.
The 20th anniversary model is expected to follow in the footsteps of the iPhone X, with Apple releasing a device that will set the standard for the next decade of iPhone flagships. This means that if you’ve been disappointed with the level of upgrades Apple has offered over the past few years, the iPhone 20 can make up for it.
Here are nine reasons why you should skip the iPhone 18 Pro and wait for the iPhone 20.
Latest Videos FromTom the guide
Quad-curved, all-glass display
The most noticeable iPhone 20 change is shaped to be the quad-curved all-glass display. While a screen with four curved edges is quite common among Chinese brands, it never really took off in the US and other regions. However, the Apple version is a bit different.
The design wraps around all four corners, connecting with a separate glass back panel to give the illusion that this device is made of nothing but glass. Of course, the interior will still have the usual metal frame and other components, but it should ensure that the iPhone 20 is one of the most visually striking phones that Apple has made in a while.
Better OLED screens
The design of the iPhone 20 may not be the only thing that changes on the screen. Apple is rumored to offer new OLED display panels that are lighter and thinner than what we have now. The panels themselves are expected to come from Samsung, complete with Color Filter on Encapsulation (COE, not to be confused with the Church of England) technology.
This tech is said to be able to reduce the thickness of the display itself, while also letting more light through. This improves the overall brightness, but in a way that does not increase power consumption. Considering how much battery power a phone display can use, this could potentially be a massive win for battery life.
Under Display Face ID and Cameras
We know that Apple can make under-display cameras, because it added this technology to the foldable display of the iPhone Duo. One of the long-standing rumors for the iPhone 20 is that both the camera and Face ID will disappear under the display, providing a true, uninterrupted display – although the Dynamic Island may still remain.
Face ID hardware has been slowly making this migration for several years, and it makes sense that Apple would be ready to make the leap next year. The camera is another matter, especially with sub-display cameras’ reputation for mediocre quality. Even the iPhone Duo’s hidden camera is only designed for FaceTime and video calling, and it’s unclear whether Apple can fix this issue before next year.
Solid state buttons
There have been rumors circulating about Apple switching from mechanical buttons to solid-state buttons for years, and iPhone 20 could be the year it finally happens. Such a move would see traditional buttons replaced by haptic alternatives built right into the device itself – which would help with uninterrupted glass viewing.
Those buttons would have no moving parts, which has two advantages. Less chances of breaking, and less gaps in the frame that can be damaged and invite water or dust in the phone. All while maintaining a tactile button-like response from built-in haptic feedback.
A21 pro
One thing we can all but guarantee is the inclusion of the A21 Pro chipset. As is the case with new Apple chips, this will likely come with increased computing and graphics performance, in addition to gains in AI processing.
The level of improvement is not clear right now, but we should expect the iPhone 20 to be the most powerful iPhone that Apple has made – and among the most powerful phones on sale. Of course, we should also expect improvements in power consumption and energy efficiency, which should improve overall battery life.
No Qualcomm modem in sight
While Apple was eager to hype the addition of the C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro series, it turns out that Qualcomm modems are still being used. iFixit teardowns revealed that the iPhone 18 Pro Max still uses a Qualcomm modem, and they have a reputation for being a bit power hungry.
The reason why Apple did not fire Qualcomm in its entirety is all very legal. Suffice it to say that Apple was obliged to continue using some Qualcomm modems in its devices until this year. As far as we know, the end of 2026 means that Apple is free to use its own modems across the entire iPhone lineup – including iPhone 20.
Silicon carbon batteries
More and more phones are adopting silicon carbon battery technology, and the iPhone 20 could be the first Apple smartphone to make the switch. These batteries use a silicon coated anode and are able to provide much better energy density as a result. Effectively, Apple can reduce the size of the iPhone 20 battery without lowering the actual capacity in the process.
OnePlus 15 did this with its monster 7,300 mAh battery, without adding any meaningful weight or thickness to the phone. Samsung did the same with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, increasing the total battery capacity while maintaining a slim, thin foldable profile. So there’s little reason for Apple not to follow suit.
Better cameras
Apple could develop a stacked image sensor for the iPhone 20 cameras, effectively replacing the Sony sensors that iPhones have relied on for years. The advantage of this is that the camera would be able to record even more details in bright and dark areas, without losing information in the process. In other words, better image quality and dynamic range rolled into one.
It is also rumored that Apple could copy Samsung and adopt a 200MP main camera on the iPhone 20 – up from 48MP on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. It seems like a pretty big leap, especially since Apple generally focuses on improving photography software, but if it’s going to happen, it might as well be on the iPhone 20.
New screen sizes
The all-glass displays also mean that the iPhone 20 will come with slightly larger screens. A recent rumor from Digital Chat Station claims that the iPhone 20 Pro will have a 6.41-inch display, and the Pro Max model will have a 6.96-inch display. That’s up from 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches respectively on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Both new phones are rumored to come with resolutions of 2,686 x 1,236 and 2,912 x 1,340 – suggesting they will be incrementally taller and wider as a result of the larger screen. Not much, but that extra screen space has to come from somewhere, right?
follow Tom’s Guide to Google News in the add us as a preferred source to get our latest news, analysis and reviews in your feeds. Make sure you click the follow button!