Apple reportedly filed patent for all-glass iPhone: Here's how it may look

Patent outlines six-sided glass enclosure with touch-sensitive displays on every surface, hinting at Apple's futuristic vision for the iPhone

Apple has reportedly filed a patent application for an all-glass iPhone design, potentially hinting at a future model. As per a 9to5Mac report, the filing describes an electronic device with a “six-sided glass enclosure,” aligning with Apple’s long-standing vision for iPhone hardware, what former design chief Jony Ive once called a “single slab of glass.”

 

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple is planning a significant design overhaul, aiming to launch a mostly glass iPhone in 2027 to mark the product’s 20th anniversary. That model is expected to feature under-display Face ID and a front camera, along with a curved display. While Gurman’s description differs from the all-glass patent and seems more feasible in the near term, the filing offers insight into Apple’s ambitions for the future of the iPhone. 

Apple’s all-glass iPhone patent: What it describes

The patent outlines an electronic device that “includes a six-sided glass enclosure” with a touchscreen display “within the interior volume and positioned adjacent at least a portion of each of the six sides.” A separate section adds that the device could feature a touch-sensitive display assembly attached to the inner surface, capable of showing visuals “through at least a portion of each of the two major sides and at least a portion of each of the four peripheral sides” – effectively allowing content display and touch interaction on every edge.

 

The document also notes openings in the glass for microphones and speakers, while emphasising a visually and tactilely seamless look:

“The enclosure may appear visually and tactilely seamless, such that the entire enclosure may appear to be formed from a single piece of glass (even though it may be formed from multiple separate pieces attached together).”

 

Manufacturing such a design remains a challenge, meaning it may be years away, if it happens at all. Apple routinely patents concepts that never reach production, and this could be one of several paths under consideration.

 

In the near term, the closest realisation of Apple’s slim, glass-heavy vision is likely the iPhone 17 Air, expected to debut in September as the thinnest iPhone yet.