iOS 27 Beta First Look: Adjustable Liquid Glass and a Welcome Camera UI Overhaul

To our surprise, Apple released the latest internal beta version of iOS 27 just half an hour after the WWDC keynote concluded, and we wasted no time getting it installed for a first look.

 

 

So, what exactly is new in this generation of iOS? Let's dive right in.

Starting with the system UI, iOS 27 retains the "Liquid Glass" design. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this style as it can reduce the readability of information on the screen. However, it seems Apple sees Liquid Glass as a key design trend for the next few years, so we'll have to get used to it.

 

Fortunately, iOS 27 introduces a new transparency adjustment option. You can choose between "Clear," "Default," and "Tinted." Although Apple provides a slider for adjustment, our hands-on experience shows that the level of customization isn't particularly high.

When set to "Tinted," the semi-transparent interface shifts to a more traditional frosted glass style. The trade-off is losing the sophisticated real-time rendering animations that dynamically adjust based on content and ambient light. Conversely, setting it to "Clear" makes the style more aggressive. For example, the music card on the lock screen becomes significantly more transparent, revealing a refraction effect on the background. It’s a detailed touch, but whether it looks good is a matter of personal taste.

The Liquid Glass style has also finally made its way to the keyboard. In our testing across dozens of apps, iOS 27 consistently brought up the new liquid-style keyboard, which also supports third-party keyboards. While the change isn't massive, it creates a more cohesive visual experience.

One of the most welcome changes is in the Camera UI, which has finally moved away from a design that sacrificed function for aesthetics. iOS 27 places all shooting modes directly in the primary menu, making it easy for users to see what mode they are swiping into. However, in this early beta, the camera interface is very laggy, with a high probability of frame drops during swiping and shooting.

 

Lastly, the Weather app's UI has been updated. It now includes graphical displays for precipitation probability and wind speed. Instead of just showing a cold number for the chance of rain, it now uses a bar chart to visualize it, even indicating the potential intensity of the rainfall.

 

Compared to the major overhaul of iOS 26, the tangible new features in iOS 27 feel limited so far. The heavily promoted AI and Kids Mode features are not yet available in this build. It leaves us wondering when we'll get to experience the full-featured version of the new OS.