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iPhone XR If the iPhone XR is as thick as the iPhone 4 why does the camera still protrude?
- Thread starter Seanm87
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It’s a design choice by Apple. If they wanted the camera to be flush, it would be. Period. The liking of the camera bump is an entirely different spectrum and opinions vary. I have no opinion one way or the other if it exists or not.
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I very like the camera bump, fight me. Even on the Xs it just looks elegant. If it was just a flat piece of glass there wouldn't be camera bump bezels which additionally give the phone (especially the gold color) a very premium look.
If you put a case on it, the case will cover the bump so where the camera is, it wouldn't feel empty, as if there was no camera bump.
If you put a case on it, the case will cover the bump so where the camera is, it wouldn't feel empty, as if there was no camera bump.
Camera sensor is huge compare to 4. Then you add 6 element lenses + sapphire cover.
In tear downs, there is no empty space behind/under camera system to say that the bump is a “design choice”.
In tear downs, there is no empty space behind/under camera system to say that the bump is a “design choice”.
It's still a design choice though. Apple could have easily made the phone thicker so that the camera is flush.
Apple made a design choice in having the majority of the phone be thin with a small section that protrudes. IMO, this was the right choice as I always use a case so the bump doesn't bother me.
Sure...
https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/29/9418245/smartphone-camera-bumps-are-in-style
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iPhone 4: 9.3 mm
iPhone XR: 8.3 mm
Besides, it isn’t the same old camera module.
You do realize if the XR was thick enough to hide the camera bump the phone would be unacceptably thick and heavy for basically everyone. I like the camera bump. Looks utilitarian and in fact, is utilitarian. It’s the same as the notch. It isn’t there to be there for the sake of design, but represents the decision to go full screen while offering the best in Face ID tech.
Absolutely. Apple made a design choice. They made the Xr (actually every iPhone since the 6, with the exception of the SE) too thin to have a flush camera module. They could have easily made the camera module flush by using by a thinner camera module (probably impacting camera performance) or by making the phone thicker (at the cost of weight and thickness)
Apple decided on low weight and camera performance at the cost of a "bump". It was an obvious choice but it was still a design choice.
Good article. Didn’t know that Jony Ive actually commented on this. I still think the camera bump is partially a design choice for Apple, similarly to how the notch is a trademark, I don’t have an issue with the camera bump one way or the other, but being the way that iPhone is designed with camera bump, I still think Apple wanted the origin of this design to always be like this, even if the manufacturing tolerances didn’t permit it to be flush.
Exactly. I wish it was flush but I wouldn’t sacrifice photo quality for a flush camera.
Well…yeah. Except if you don't use cases. At all. Ever.
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I liked your post because I agree that it is a design choice.
I just don't agree with your second paragraph. Mainly because I don't like the bump and secondly because I don't use cases. So, yeah, the bump bothers me.
Presumably the more sophisticated cameras of newer phones require more parts and are therefore thicker themselves.
It’s a necessary evil, like the notch. They have no choice but to embrace it and make the best of it.
From what I understand from comments from Ive over the years, the ultimate goal is to make iPhone look like it’s made from a single piece of material, without any distinction between the different parts that make up the device (I think my Jet Black 7 still comes closest to this).
This is illustrated by the trouble they went through making rounded corners in the displays of XR and iPad Pro. An LCD typically dictates sharp corners which don’t match the rounded design of the phone.
Anything that ‘sticks out’ (not always literally) will eventually be integrated. Sensors on the front, speakers, camera, antenna lines, wireless charging (dictates glass back and metal sides), buttons, SIM card tray and port(s). Of course, this is not done simply by making the phone thicker like some are suggesting...
Just FYI.
iPhone 4:
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Lens: 4 elements
iPhone 4s and 5:
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Lens: 5 elements
iPhone 5s and 6 and 6s:
Sensor size: 1/3.0"
Lens: 5 elements
iPhone 7/8/X:
Sensor size: 1/3.0"
Lens: 6 elements
iPhone XS/Xr:
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Lens: 6 elements
Note above: elements count does NOT include the glass covering. Of course, throughout the years, BSI, OIS, deep trenching with pixels, and IR filter improvements were all introduced along the way. Etc. But above is the basic camera design.
iPhone 4:
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Lens: 4 elements
iPhone 4s and 5:
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Lens: 5 elements
iPhone 5s and 6 and 6s:
Sensor size: 1/3.0"
Lens: 5 elements
iPhone 7/8/X:
Sensor size: 1/3.0"
Lens: 6 elements
iPhone XS/Xr:
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Lens: 6 elements
Note above: elements count does NOT include the glass covering. Of course, throughout the years, BSI, OIS, deep trenching with pixels, and IR filter improvements were all introduced along the way. Etc. But above is the basic camera design.
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That same question has been asked since the iPhone 6/6+. The general consensus here (on MacRumors) has been that people want the phone to be thinner and are willing to sacrifice battery life to keep weight down.
It's an interesting thing, because I don't recall many complaints about the weight of say, the iPhone 3GS. On the other hand, I only signed up here in 2011 so maybe I missed it.
It would likely be uncomfortably heavy.
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The 3gs wasn't that heavy because it was mostly plastic. The 4/4s are very heavy for the overall size of the phone. The 5/6/7 series were lighter because the shell is aluminum. The 8/X are heavier because the user of the glass back, like the 4 series.That same question has been asked since the iPhone 6/6+. The general consensus here (on MacRumors) has been that people want the phone to be thinner and are willing to sacrifice battery life to keep weight down.
It's an interesting thing, because I don't recall many complaints about the weight of say, the iPhone 3GS. On the other hand, I only signed up here in 2011 so maybe I missed it.
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I was just looking at best but today and the pixel 3 and the new Samsung Galaxy phones all have a protruding camera. The Samsung's are barely protruding, but protruding nonetheless
Before 2012 and my first iPhone I was using an HTC Touch Pro for 3.5 years.
Plastic or metal, I have yet to encounter an iPhone that was as heavy as my old Touch Pro. I own a 4 and a 4s and while they are heavier than my 5, they don't seem as heavy as my 6s+. My 6s+ is slightly lighter than my old 6+, which for me was actually a comfortable weight. Once, I owned a 3GS as well and that was lighter than my Touch Pro.
I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
Ah yes, makes sense.
HTC Touch Pro, weight: 5.82 oz.
I guess that's why I never really noticed the weight of the Plus model iPhones I've had and why the 3GS, 4, 4s and 5 feel light to me.
Mine is in a case, so not an issue for me.
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That would be nice, though heavier. Doubling the battery life would have been something that might have convinced me to upgrade from the X.
My issue with making the phone thicker to accommodate a flush camera is the sacrificed grip rather than the weight.
I like a good grip on a phone as it lessens the chance of hand fatigue & dropping the device.
Having it as thick as the iPhone camera means the whole feel of the phone, in both hand & pocket, makes it less portable for many.
& that's without a case...
I like a good grip on a phone as it lessens the chance of hand fatigue & dropping the device.
Having it as thick as the iPhone camera means the whole feel of the phone, in both hand & pocket, makes it less portable for many.
& that's without a case...