Apple’s supply chain facilities have completed renovations ahead of production of the “iPhone 20,” according to a Weibo leaker who claims Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone will switch to an all-glass design.
In a new Weibo post, the leaker known as “Fixed Focus Digital” said the “preferred approach” for the iPhone 20 is a return to glass, with build quality expected to be somewhere around that of the first-generation iPhone Air. The source said the manufacturing plant involved had “already been renovated” and was now waiting for machining to begin, but did not name the supplier involved. Lens Technology produces glass iPhone cases and previously took over the metal frame and glass back assembly plants of fellow supplier Catcher Technology.
Apple’s iPhone production typically only reaches full-scale manufacturing a few weeks before launch; For the iPhone 17, trial production began in June and full-volume production is planned for August, about a month before the device’s September release. The information probably refers to a first step in retooling a production line, which constitutes the kind of preparatory work Bloomberg said Apple is already “accelerating” development of the 20th anniversary redesign.
The claim adds new supply chain details to an overhaul that has been rumored for more than a year. BloombergMark Gurman of reported that Apple is aiming for a “curved iPhone made mostly of glass, with no cutouts in the screen” to mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversary, with curved glass surrounding all sides of the device and an expected launch in September 2027.
In May, Fixed Focus Digital pushed back on an earlier report from another leaker, Instant Digital, claiming that Apple was exploring liquid metal or an upgraded titanium alloy to replace aluminum on future Pro models, arguing that aluminum remains the only practical choice for now given the heat generated by AI processing on the device.
At the time, Fixed Focus Digital said a significant change was unlikely before 2027, in line with the iPhone 18 Pro’s expected retention of the same aluminum unibody design introduced on the iPhone 17 Pro. Earlier this month, the leaker reiterated that aluminum middle bezels are “going to be used in straight-edged phones for a long time to come,” a distinction that leaves room for a different approach on the curved-edged iPhone 20.
The 20th anniversary iPhone models are expected to launch in fall 2027, following the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air‌ 2 in the spring.
