Surprise! The ‘iPhone 14’ Is Getting an Even Fatter Camera Bump
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New leaked schematics aren’t merely dashing our hopes that this year’s iPhone 14 could finally ditch the awkward camera bump, but they’re now revealing that it could end up even bigger this year.
Last fall, prolific leaker Jon Prosser raised our expectations with renders that suggested the 2022 iPhone would lose the camera bump entirely. Prosser claimed these had come from leaked images of the so-called “iPhone 14 Pro Max” but admitted that he had no insight into how Apple would accomplish this.
The consensus was that Apple would simply make the “iPhone 14” thicker to accommodate the camera bump. That didn’t seem entirely unreasonable at the time, as Apple does seem less obsessed with making everything as thin as possible these days, but it was also so early on that these reports had to be taken with a grain of salt.
Last week, alleged CAD drawings surfaced that threw a pretty big bucket of cold water on that notion. These drawings showed the much-speculated-upon pill-and-hole camera and sensor cutouts on the front of the iPhone but clearly showed the typical camera bump still present on the rear of the new iPhone.
A Thicker iPhone and a Bigger Bump
Now, Max Weinbach is backing up this report with another set of schematics that he shared on Twitter, which reveal that this year’s iPhone could have an even more prominent camera bump — at least on the two Pro models.
Unlike last week’s renders from 91Mobiles, Weinbach’s schematics include specific measurements. These reveal that not only will the camera bump grow, but the entire “iPhone 14 Pro” may also get a bit thicker.
To be fair, we’re talking about fractions of a centimeter, so it may not be noticeable to the average person. However, it’s still enough to render existing iPhone 13 Pro cases incompatible.
Specifically, if Weinbach’s sources are accurate, the “iPhone 14 Pro Max” will measure 7.85mm in thickness, which is about a fifth of a centimeter more than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Even so, Apple still plans to continue the trend of growing the camera bump that started with last year’s iPhone 13 Pro models, which will get both thicker and more prominent.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max camera bump protrudes by about 3.6mm, while these latest schematics show the bump on the “iPhone 14 Pro Max” will come in at 4.17mm. The width and height of the camera array also look like they’re set to grow by about 2mm in both directions, from 35.01mm x 36.24mm on the iPhone 13 Pro Max to 36.73mm x 38.21mm on the “iPhone 14 Pro Max.”
The “iPhone 14 Pro” is also expected to follow suit. Last year’s iPhone 13 Pro gained the same camera bump as its larger sibling, making it more prominent than the 2020 iPhone 12 Pro. Weinbach’s schematics for the “iPhone 14 Pro” show that the bump on the smaller 6.1-inch model will have virtually the same dimensions as the larger “iPhone 14 Pro Max.”
With the “iPhone 14” designs now reportedly locked down for production, there’s a good chance that these renders are accurate, although they don’t always tell the whole story. For instance, there’s still some debate whether the hole and pill cutouts will be visible, with some sources suggesting that Apple has figured out a way to make Face ID work through the display. It’s harder to glean these kinds of details from schematics.
As for Prosser’s information last fall, it’s hard to say whether he simply saw a concept design that Apple was working on or whether Apple considered the bump-less design but later chose to abandon it (shown below).
The leaked images Prosser reported on also appeared to include a throwback to the iPhone 4 design era, with rounded volume buttons and mesh speaker grilles — both of which are also conspicuously missing from those latest CAD drawings and schematics.
That doesn’t mean Apple has abandoned this idea entirely, however. While it’s far too early for the company to consider any final designs for the 2023 “iPhone 15,” there’s no doubt that it’s already throwing ideas around internally for what will come next.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
