Apple’s iPhone Air could serve as the blueprint for its 20th anniversary iPhone

The iPhone Air is often dismissed as an experiment that didn’t achieve the same success as Apple’s other products.

However, a fresh leak suggests Apple may view the slim iPhone differently, treating its design language as something that could eventually make its way into the mainstream lineup.

So what’s this cooling upgrade actually about?

Tipster Fixed Focus Digital, via Weibo, claims the iPhone 20 lineup could borrow its mid-frame construction directly from the iPhone Air and return to a glass-heavy enclosure design.

Alongside that shared design language and thin chassis profile, the leak points to a vapor chamber that has been increased in size by an inch. While the leakster doesn’t provide a frame of reference, I’m assuming it’s the iPhone 17 Pro’s vapor chamber that’s being considered a reference here. 

Apple only introduced vapor chamber cooling with last year’s Pro models, moving on from the graphite sheets used in earlier iPhones. While graphite spreads heat passively and struggles once ambient temperatures climb, vapor chambers actively cool the phone, holding up noticeably better on a scorching day outdoors.

For a phone that’s slimmer than the iPhone 17 Pro but packs in more power, a larger vapor chamber could actually come in handy. 

And what about the screen size everyone’s been asking about?

A separate leak from Digital Chat Station adds another piece to the puzzle. The iPhone 20 Pro Max is expected to ship with a 7-inch display, up from the 17 Pro Max’s 6.9 inches. Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 20 Pro reportedly could jump from 6.3 to 6.4 inches. 

Aspect ratios should stay consistent with this year’s models. However, a new quad-curved front panel might make bezels look nearly invisible. None of this is particularly shocking once you remember why Apple’s skipping straight from iPhone 18 to the iPhone 20 in the first place. 

There have been several rumors about an anniversary edition iPhone next year, and it would make sense given that 2027 marks two decades since the original iPhone launched. Apple rarely lets a milestone like that pass without making a statement.