Apple is actively pursuing a long-term vision for the iPhone hardware, inspired by former design chief Jony Ive’s concept of a “single slab of glass.” This ambitious goal is evidenced by a new patent application describing a “six-sided glass enclosure” for an electronic device, strongly suggesting further development towards this all-glass iPhone design.
Ive, despite his departure from Apple, left a significant imprint on the company’s design philosophy. The pursuit of a device that visually and tactilely resembles a single piece of glass continues to be a core objective. Apple’s first major step in this direction was the release of the iPhone X in 2017. Since then, progress has been incremental, with bezels gradually shrinking but still present.
Achieving the “single slab of glass” aesthetic would necessitate a display that curves around the device’s sides, enabling active display content to extend into these curved edges. While the Apple Watch offers a similar illusion by concealing bezels under curved glass, Apple’s aim for the iPhone is to have a fully functional display on all sides.
Samsung previously explored curved edges with its Galaxy Edge series. However, this design came with significant trade-offs, particularly large “forehead and chin” areas, leading Samsung to shift its focus to simply creating the thinnest possible bezels. Apple, however, appears determined to go beyond this, aiming for an iPhone that fundamentally appears as one solid piece of glass.
The recently filed patent application delineates the technical aspects of this glass enclosure. It details an electronic device featuring a “six-sided glass enclosure defining an interior volume and comprising a first glass member and a second glass member.” The patent specifies that the first glass member would form “at least a portion of a first major side” and “at least a portion of a peripheral side,” including regions with varying thicknesses. The second glass member would be attached to the first, forming “at least a portion of a second major side.”
Crucially, the patent describes a touchscreen display positioned within the interior volume, “adjacent at least a portion of each of the six sides of the six-sided glass enclosure.” The phrase “at least a portion of” indicates that while not every millimeter will be glass, the design aims to convey the appearance of a single, seamless slab. The patent explicitly states, “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).”
Beyond the aesthetic, the patent also details functional aspects of this design. It indicates that content would be visible and displayed on every edge of the device, and importantly, each edge would be touch-sensitive. “The electronic device may further include a touch-sensitive display assembly attached to an interior surface of the enclosure and configured to display graphical outputs visible through at least a portion of each of the two major sides and at least a portion of each of the four peripheral sides of the enclosure, and detect touch inputs applied to the enclosure.” The patent also confirms that the glass enclosure would incorporate necessary openings for components such as microphones and speakers.
While this patent reveals Apple’s ambitious long-term vision, the actual manufacturing of such a device is still some time away. In the interim, consumers can anticipate more immediate advancements, such as the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to be the slimmest iPhone Apple has ever produced.
