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This again?? How dumb are the Apple designers that they can’t stop oscillating back and forth between “THIN!” and “Oops! We made it too thin again. Again. 😬”
I don’t hear ANY customers asking for thinner phones anymore. The primary complaint I DO hear is that the camera bulge is becoming TOO ungainly, especially in concert with the “it won’t lay flat on a table” thing… which is 100% valid, IMHO, and reflective of Apple’s “out to lunch”-ness on iPhone design. (And the iPhone 17 renders don’t inspire confidence in this regard… they extend the bulge all the across the back, ala Google’s design for the Pixel, but then still project the lenses out past that so the phone STILL won’t sit flat without a case. Infuriating.) ((Also, since they positioned the bulge right at the top edge, which becomes the side edge in proper Camera Mode, it will naturally become a ‘handle’ of sorts… except users who do that will end up covering the lenses with their fingers! It is so dumb. About to be many more photos ruined by ‘lens finger’! Just do, so dumb.))

(((And when exactly did we all proclaim we wanted an iCamera with a built-in phone, rather than an iPhone with a built-in camera?? How about Apple goes back to making separate cameras and give us back our phones?)))
 
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Let’s be honest, Apple is doing this to further differentiate the thinness of the “iPhone Air”. They want customers to pick up the devices in store and feel like the “iPhone Air” is extraordinarily thin when compared to other models.
Exactly this.

Given Cook’s celebrity obsession, they’ll probably wheel out Kate Moss to paraphrase her infamous “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” line.
 
My opinion on this is probably going to be the least popular, but this isn't an iPhone anymore. The "iPhone" hasn't been an iPhone for a quite some time in my opinion. It's lost the whole iPhone identity that we knew from around the 4S/5 times, the neon-flat oversaturated overwhelming iOS of today is just that - overwhelming. I used my old 4S with iOS 6 for a few days and it's just so refreshing to use a subtle, neat and organized user interface in a comfortable form factor. Everything what I need works, r/legacyjailbreak community keeps it alive and usable in today's day and age, it has basic tools for everyday use and is the exact opposite of the doom-scrolling neck-bending gadget Apple sells today. I wish we could go back to a less neon/overly-vibrant-neon user interface to something less overwhelming (the amount of white screens in iOS is just insane), and a smaller form factor. And most importantly - no camera bump. We have all the tech needed to achieve this, yet all we get is this bulky big phablet with a massive hunk of a camera in the rear. I don't know, maybe I'm just an old boring dude that just went back to 2011 and preferred it there, but I honestly can't wait for a major iOS redesign and I hope it's going to be more pleasant on the eye and I hope Apple releases another Mini model too.
 

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It really feels like Apple is running out of ideas, and is resorting to:

1) new colors as the main announcement (Macbook Air) or
2) changing the camera back to create a new aesthetic differntiator of "modern" phones from "yesterday" phones.

I see no functional advantage yet of that rendering of the back, and just think it's going to be used to distinguish the trendy kids as a status symbol. Much like having a "notch" feels like you have an old phone when put up against the "dynamic island" crew.
 
How about not only accommodate larger battery, but also make the back flat?
It’s been over a decade since the iPhone 6 came with flush rear back, the ugly wobbly camera wart has been growing ever since.

Any hope the wedge design (like Pixel) would be an option, died when the wedge MBA form factor was discontinued for the M2.
 
For the people saying they’ll look better in real life because they always do: they don’t. The iPhone 11 Pro’s camera style which has persisted to this day never looked good. It was absolutely ugly, and it still is.
 
More like vice versa, function over form: they value big batteries, huge displays and uselessly large camera sensor over phone size and comfort. Would have much preferred a “form over function” type of iPhone, of a physical size of an iPhone 5 but with modern components
I’ll always maintain that the existence of a notch or hole in the display is a very much a “form over function” decision, but I can see your way of looking at it where the cameras and size/comfort are concerned.

I also agree with your “wish list” priorities. Maybe that is why I find the 16e so puzzling. If it had been what you describe at $100 less, it would have made more sense to me. I guess we’ll just have to get used to always wearing belts with pants so they don’t get pulled down by the weight of the communications brick in our pockets. ☹️
 
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Why can’t it be thicker to accommodate the lenses, so I could finally put my phone down flat on the table!
Honest question: Why do some people care about being able to lay a phone completely flat on a table?

What are the advantages of a phone lying completely flat on a table? Presumably, a phone that lays completely flat on a table is harder to gain leverage over and pick up? Its display will also reflect over headlights much more harshly.

So why is there an obsession by some people for phones that lay completely flat on a surface? I'm not trying to be snarky; I just really don't understand.
 
Honest question: Why do some people care about being able to lay a phone completely flat on a table?

What are the advantages of a phone lying completely flat on a table? Presumably, a phone that lays completely flat on a table is harder to gain leverage over and pick up? Its display will also reflect over headlights much more harshly.

So why is there an obsession by some people for phones that lay completely flat on a surface? I'm not trying to be snarky; I just really don't understand.
One functional reason is that the bump interferes with optimal placement when using non-magnetic wireless chargers. Proper placement is finicky enough without the bump.

One aesthetic reason is that it looks ugly and out of place from a company that has built a reputation for design, and charges a premium for its products.
 
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