We’re only months away from the fall season, which is typically when Apple announces the next generation of iPhone and Apple Watch. This year, we’re expecting the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro alongside the Apple Watch Series 9. This means that the iPhone rumor mill is in full swing, and we’ve been getting a lot of iPhone 15 news lately.
Over the weekend, 9to5Mac released an exclusive report with new renderings and details of what the iPhone 15 Pro will look like. Though it sounds like it’s going to be an impressive upgrade in terms of specs, I just can’t help but hate how it actually looks — at least, with that super chunky camera bump.
It’s time to rethink the camera design
If you take a look at the renderings of the iPhone 15 Pro, you’ll notice that the camera bump is just getting even larger. I thought the iPhone 14 Pro had a big, chunky camera bump — but the iPhone 15 Pro may take that and turn it up to 11.
In this render image from 9to5Mac that shows how the camera bump looks from a side view, it almost looks as thick as the rest of the iPhone 15 Pro body itself. And that is absolutely ridiculous. We’re talking about the cameras — it’s a bump that may be as thick as an entire phone, making it twice as thick in one part on the back. The result? It will be impossible to lay flat on a table or even a wireless charging pad that doesn’t use MagSafe.
From the rumors, it seems that the iPhone 15 Pro will be getting larger lenses and sensors, while the rumored periscope lens will only be on the iPhone 15 Pro Max model, further differentiating the two Pro devices. Regardless, perhaps it’s time for Apple to think of a different way to implement the cameras. The three-lens array in a square in the corner just doesn’t work when it’s becoming as thick as the phone body itself.
Let’s take a look at some competing Android phones that also feature large sensors and periscope lenses. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, for example, has a massive 200MP main camera and 10MP periscope lens for that impressive optical zoom. But take a look at the camera array, and you’ll see that while it does stick out, it’s nearly as thick as what we’re seeing from the iPhone 15 Pro.
The Pixel 7 Pro may not have an actual periscope lens, but it does have a “periscope style” lens for 5x telephoto shots. But Google uses a camera bar that goes all the way across the width of the phone, so even though it does stick out, it does so in a way that is more balanced and even compared to the iPhone’s corner camera bump.
The current iPhone camera design hasn’t really changed over the years — it’s always been in the same spot since the original, but it just gets bigger each year. With the way things appear to be going, it’s time for Apple to re-think the camera design. I mean, at what point will the camera actually be larger than the entire phone?
Apple — a thicker iPhone is OK
Do you remember when the iPhone had a camera that was flush with the rest of the phone body so that it didn’t really stick out, and you could just lay it flat on a table and not wobble? That seemed to stop after the iPhone 5s, and then with the iPhone 6 and later, it started to stick out more and more every year. It’s gotten to the point where it’s ridiculous and unsightly, and only a case can help make it lay flat without wobbling if you touch it.
I think Apple should stop focusing on making the iPhone thin — instead, make it a bit thicker to help mitigate that huge camera bump sticking out more. Plus, perhaps a thicker body would also mean more room for battery, so it could have longer battery life. I don’t know about everyone else, but I would consider that a win-win.
I’m sure that Apple’s going to have impressive camera technology with the iPhone 15 Pro line, but seriously, we need to do something about that camera bump. Apple has been at the forefront of incredible hardware design, but the ever-growing camera bump is not it.
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