Prime Real Estate: The Fight for Space in the iPhone X

[citysnaps]

No matter how much the fabrication technology advances, Jony Ive will bring thinner batteries.

I sure hope so.

 

[TrueBlou]

We take it for granted when it’s just a screen in the palm of our hands but the technology and techniques that go into these things is mind blowing.

Comparing this kind of manufacturing and level of performance it delivers to us in the end product to even just a handful of years ago or so is amazing. I am and always will be in complete awe of the amazing amount of talent, knowledge, dedication and sheer determination it takes to produce these miniature marvels. And I don’t just mean iPhones.

 

[44267547]

So why not make the phone 2mm thicker, with more battery life and a flush camera.

Because then you would have those who would be complaining about the iPhone being to thick. And then you have those who now complain about the iPhone being too thin with the camera bump. So the complaining will always happen, at least on a tech like MacRumors.

Personally, I just marvel at how far the iPhone has come to where it was 10 years ago.

 

[stanman64]

I don't even know why I kept reading this. Two paragraphs in and everything was over my head.

 

[oneMadRssn]

So basically, the entire PCB is being fabricated like an IC.

 

[stanman64]

the two battery thing... it screams it to me.

I literally cannot think of anything more pointless to say... congratulations, you've taken the prize

 

[pogiboi]

Full Teardown.... horrible quality

 

[psymac]

So basically, the entire PCB is being fabricated like an IC.

Yes, very good point! Should be this case more in the future, no need for all these separate components.

 

[jotwee]

Looks like a compromise phone to me, like gen two will be much more refined and this is going to have lots of faults.

I bet you are a fun guy and invited to a lot of parties.

 

[kasakka]

To me it seems the biggest gain would be removing the SIM card tray and going with an eSIM. Apple should have the "courage" to do this and hopefully we would be soon using tech that doesn’t need to be a little removable chip card.

 

[oneMadRssn]

To me it seems the biggest gain would be removing the SIM card tray and going with an eSIM. Apple should have the "courage" to do this and hopefully we would be soon using tech that doesn’t need to be a little removable chip card.

No, please no. We like user-swappable SIMs. We don't want to pay carriers an "upgrade" fee every time we change phones.

 

[tipoo]

Well that answers how the X has a slightly bigger capacity than the Plus, despite smaller size.

Question is then if the Plus or even regular 8 could have had the smaller motherboard design for the L shape battery too then...But I guess that would mean redesigning the chassis even more, which they probably found not worth it if everything is going X next year.

 

[mrfrosty]

I literally cannot think of anything more pointless to say... congratulations, you've taken the prize

And you just stole it from him ! Well done you !

 

[Jjayf]

It makes me wonder, at what point are these devices going to need on board cooling. Coupled with the fact that these are sealed up tight for water resistance, power house processors, and monster screens, heat buildup has got to an issue soon..

 

[arielb]

I found this it seems real

 

[raghu8912]

So why not make the phone 2mm thicker, with more battery life and a flush camera.

If that was an alternative, who would buy that over the current X ?

they can make the twice as thick and give 3 days battery life, what is the optimal battery life with out making the phone too heavy. as battery size increases app developers will make more apps which will drain more battery, at the end of the day phone will still have one day battery life.
[doublepost=1509651475][/doublepost]

To me it seems the biggest gain would be removing the SIM card tray and going with an eSIM. Apple should have the "courage" to do this and hopefully we would be soon using tech that doesn’t need to be a little removable chip card.

for this to happen carriers should agree, Apple Watch series 4 already has eSIM, so it is possible.

 

[Cmd-Z]

Plenty of room for an FM antenna /s

 

[kasakka]

It makes me wonder, at what point are these devices going to need on board cooling. Coupled with the fact that these are sealed up tight for water resistance, power house processors, and monster screens, heat buildup has got to an issue soon..

Metal backs are good for acting as heat sinks but they are trying to make SoCs more powerful while consuming less electricity and putting out less heat. Going from the unfortunate furnace of Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 to the cool 820 is a good example of these developments.

 

[petsounds]

I just wanted to commend MacRumors for producing a long-form article like this. More of this, please.

 

[rezwits]

Does anyone else sit back - especially ol' school tech sector folks like myself - just awed at the technology present in a device the size of an iPhone (or any/all smartphones for that matter).

It helps me laugh at incredulous critics, who "bag" on Apple for most of the things, they do. Like this FaceID is gonna suck? Yeah right. Haven't they noticed when Apple does something the do it when it's relatively "possible". And shut people down and up... They are doing "other" things that are insane that they don't even talk about...

 

[MRI3T]

Does anyone else sit back - especially ol' school tech sector folks like myself - just awed at the technology present in a device the size of an iPhone (or any/all smartphones for that matter).

Every damn day.. I love these articles! These technology advancements are sheer brilliance
[doublepost=1509654761][/doublepost]

So why not make the phone 2mm thicker, with more battery life and a flush camera.

If that was an alternative, who would buy that over the current X ?

Have you ever realized how much components/technology has been implemented into the iPhone camera/lenses ? Image optimize stabilization, auto focus, optical zoom and digital zoom,12 megapixels and those are only the things I know about I’m sure there are dozens of others that complicated and make up our brilliant beautiful looking photos ! How many years have we dealt with the camera bump, FFS get over it!

And also, quit complaining about the phone thickness/ size!!! If you want a thicker phone stack two devices together and see how difficult it is to use the touchscreen with one hand! You also have to remember there are other people that use these large devices not just 6 foot, 6’4” men!
Not everyone has huge hands

 

[baihan8]

Perhaps I have missed something in the various announcements and tech specs, but what "two battery thing" are you talking about?

I thought the same thing, since the article didn't mention it, but the original tweet by Anson Chen says "A friend in Shenzhen opened one up, there really are two batteries." Would have missed it if I didn't already speak Chinese. The fact that this tweet was quoted without a translation is kind of strange/an oversight, I suppose.

 

[MacWorld78]

Apple is spending billions on secret R&D projects, they have smartest people on the job to get things right for all of us to enjoy with their products, still people find something to complain about small issue.

 

[Shirasaki]

No matter how much the fabrication technology advances, Jony Ive will bring thinner batteries.

And shorter battery life, or an iOS version that kills batteries like there is no tomorrow. Just like iOS 11.2 b1.

 

[cmichaelb]

Well Tim Cook is really gonna lie awake from the fact that a complete nobody with zero knowledge of product design thinks it's a compromised phone (only so he can vindicate his decision not to buy one).

Makes more sense why they want the eSIM car built in, you can really see how if affects battery placement.