Newly ‘leaked’ renders indicate a slightly unattractive design is in line for the nonetheless highly-anticipated iPhone 11.
SlashLeaks have posted CAD renderings from the design stage of the iPhone 11 — and images show that the wide notch is set to stay for another year, and will be joined by a chunky square rear camera module. It’s a little disappointing to see Apple clinging on to a screen design from two years ago at a time when there is so so much variety in style.
#Apple – #iPhoneXI – iPhone XI CAD https://t.co/3T9JC2n5jN pic.twitter.com/cGP98c3iPs
— /LEAKS (@Slashleaks) July 1, 2019
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Notches are becoming a somewhat dated adornment to smartphone displays now, tracing their origins back to the distinctive iPhone X in 2017. Since then, it’s emerged that there are multiple alternative ways to maximise display size and include a selfie camera and speaker, without a large top bezel.
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A common solution is the teardrop notch as seen on the Huawei P30 Pro, where only the selfie camera lens intrudes into the display. The Samsung Galaxy S10‘s holepunch notch is a more sophisticated alternative, where a cutout houses the selfie camera in the screen. An even more innovative – and mechanical – solution is shown off by the OnePlus 7 Pro, which has a full-screen display with a pop-up camera unit tucked away when not in use. So we’re disappointed that Apple, so often the design innovators who everyone else follows, haven’t yet led the others into another solution.
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Meanwhile, the rear camera is certainly a change away from the ordinary; we haven’t yet seen one that looks quite like this. But that could be for very good reason. Design is subjective of course, but the three circles crammed into a rounded square look more like a cartoon Swiss cheese than a sophisticated or sleek smartphone, and that might not be what you want to see when you’ve spent over £1000/$1000 on a keystone piece of tech. More worryingly, again, is that the camera bump looks like it will protrude significantly from the back panel — this isn’t ideal when you place it on a flat surface.
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We’ll have to just wait and see if this leaked design is accurate — but it certainly does correspond with the other credible rumours we’ve seen so far regarding the iPhone 11.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.