Apple’s ambitious zero-bezel iPhone is now believed to be unlikely to launch before 2026 as the company originally planned for due to unresolved technical difficulties, according to a new report from the Korean website The Elec.
A zero-bezel iPhone will require significant engineering solutions to tuck away components beneath the display, and Apple’s partners Samsung Display and LG Display are working on novel solutions for these problems. Unfortunately, it seems that neither company is making enough progress on bezel-free displays, putting a 2026 launch for a zero-bezel iPhone at risk.
Apple is hoping to develop a bezel-free display with flat sides like today’s iPhones, unlike comparable offerings from competitors that curve the screen at all four edges. The report compared Apple’s goal with the zero-bezel iPhone to the appearance of current Apple Watch models that extend the display to the edge as much as possible while maintain a flat panel.
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A flat screen will also allow Apple to avoid the magnifying glass effect typically seen with curved displays, such as the Xiaomi ”4-sided curved waterfall display.”
LG and Samsung still need to tackle two important problems to develop a suitable panel for Apple’s vision. These include Thin Film Encapsulation (TFE) to protect from environmental damage like moisture and heat, and Optical Clear Adhesive (OCA) that would act as a glue to bond transparent adhesive film around a display’s curved edges. Beyond display drivers, other components like the antenna will have to be fitted somewhere else as they’re typically placed on or near the bezel.
OCA has reportedly been one of the biggest bottlenecks for developing a bezel-free screen. Current implementations suffer from a distortion effect at the display’s edges when viewed from at an angle, with mounting durability concerns when the screen is dropped and impacted at a corner.
The timeline and effort needed to solve the described engineering problems will likely force Apple to delay its planned 2026 launch for the zero-bezel iPhone by a few years. A likely candidate to release such a radical iPhone redesign would be 2027, representing the 20th anniversary of the product.
