iPhone 11 So about that camera bump...

[Knowlege Bomb]

There's some folk who have avoided upgrading due the the size/profile of the camera bump on some of the past models. What are your thoughts on this iteration? Seems to me like they've done a great job of reducing the profile even though the area of the module has increased.

I think it looks incredible.

 

[5105973]

It looks a lot better than I expected and much better than the all “dark square renders” depicted it. Of course that’s just my humble opinion. I’m aware I seem to be in the minority. I like it. I appreciate more the improvements it will bring to iPhone camera photography. I also like the one on the regular iPhone 11, which is the model I’m planning to get unless I change my mind at the last minute for some reason.

 

[Knowimagination]

I honestly quite like it. I’m fine with people not liking it but I think the way they molded it into the glass back and then having the 3 rings for the lenses turned out pretty dang nice.

 

[BenTrovato]

I think they did a great job with the package and it looks alright. I wouldn't go as far as to say the lenses look great because they don't - not hideous but not beautiful either. It's not a part of the device that you look at and say "wow this looks fabulous".

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

My only complaint with the design is I feel the camera housing glass should have matched the body. The glossy camera on the matte finish of the Pros and vice versa for the 11 looks a little funny. Also would have preferred the matte finish showing through the leather case on my Pro.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

My only complaint with the design is I feel the camera housing glass should have matched the body. The glossy camera on the matte finish of the Pros and vice versa for the 11 looks a little funny. Also would have preferred the matte finish showing through the leather case on my Pro.

I 100% agree. My only complaint is that they did not match the square finish to the finish on the back of the phone. That would have made the color matching accurate and blended the square into the phone.

 

[Rogifan]

My only complaint with the design is I feel the camera housing glass should have matched the body. The glossy camera on the matte finish of the Pros and vice versa for the 11 looks a little funny. Also would have preferred the matte finish showing through the leather case on my Pro.

On the Connected podcast Myke Hurley speculated the housing is different from the body so as to make triggering trypophobia (for those who think they have it) more difficult, I guess because it breaks up the back of the phone or something. On both models the camera bump is a different texture than the back of the phone. I still think trypophobia is a bunch of BS. When websites say look at these photos and you’ll realize you have something you never knew you had, they’re just creepy photos. There’s lots of things if you stare at them long enough they might freak you out. Doesn’t make it a phobia.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

On the Connected podcast Myke Hurley speculated the housing is different from the body so as to make triggering trypophobia (for those that have it) more difficult, I guess because it breaks up the back of the phone or something. On both models the camera bump is a different texture than the back of the phone.

Wild if true. I (and many others I'm sure) would have rather they just made the whole thing black like they did on the XS.

 

[edtorious]

It reminds of this.

 

[AustinIllini]

Here's the thing, this bump is apparently less pronounced than the iPhone X, but at the same time it has that weird two layer thing going on.

 

[Rogifan]

Wild if true. I (and many others I'm sure) would have rather they just made the whole thing black like they did on the XS.

With the XS the two cameras were housed inside one oval shaped ring. Here instead of having three cameras inside one square shaped ring they decided to have 3 separate rings inside a square that is part of the glass back. We don’t know if there were technical reasons or if it was an anesthetic decision. Having a square shiny ring would have made the camera array look more like it was bolted on (like how the Pixel 4 leaks look). But having three separate rings doesn’t look great either and IMO makes the cameras stand out even more. Maybe that was intentional? Because Apple is sure owning the camera bump. It’s the first thing you see on apple.com.

This is the Pixel 4 leak. I’m not sure I love if either...

 

[eulslix]

It will grow on people.. as long as there is enough early adopters, most of the work will be purely done by social pressure.
In a couple of months having the ugly camera bump will be most likely as trendy as the “ugly sneakers”. It’s a matter of Zeitgeist you might say.

I for my part like it from a purely esthetic viewpoint. I hated most of the leaks and was curious what Apple would end up with. They did an incredible job, the choice of materials, the clash of rounded and edged geometry... really impressed. It does contradict their maxime of minimalism though. I like the play between glossy and matte, but I still would’ve preferred there was no bump, just the hard transition between those both materials, still pushing the theme of the camera square.

One thing is for sure: from a design perspective it succeeds by pushing its core feature. You look at this and immediately know: oh yeah, this iPhone is all about its cameras. That’s how you sell stuff.

PS: That Pixel phone is ugly. It’s exactly like the early iPhone leaks, which I really disliked, as most of us here. Hope its just as much of a failed guess as it was in the case of Apple

 

[AustinIllini]

With the XS the two cameras were housed inside one oval shaped ring. Here instead of having three cameras inside one square shaped ring they decided to have 3 separate rings inside a square that is part of the glass back. We don’t know if there were technical reasons or if it was an anesthetic decision. Having a square shiny ring would have made the camera array look more like it was bolted on (like how the Pixel 4 leaks look). But having three separate rings doesn’t look great either and IMO makes the cameras stand out even more. Maybe that was intentional? Because Apple is sure owning the camera bump. It’s the first thing you see on apple.com.

This is the Pixel 4 leak. I’m not sure I love if either...

That thing needs a skin biopsy

 

[dojoman]

Don't worry by this time next year people will find something else to bitch about. Remember the notch?

 

[xxray]

I think it looks premium and refined for what it is. The execution is great. The just actual decision to design it this way is awful. I think it's very ugly, just as ugly as the leaks. I do understand Apple embracing it in their marketing to advertise better cameras and take something controversial and embrace it instead. However, I think it looks its best when it's subtle:

and its worst when it's embraced:

 

[Fried_Gold]

Looks worse on the standard 11, it has no need to be so wide for only 2 cameras.

 

[MyMacintosh]

It’s hideous. There’s no getting around that.

 

[UKapple73]

I 100% agree. My only complaint is that they did not match the square finish to the finish on the back of the phone. That would have made the color matching accurate and blended the square into the phone.

Do you mean make the cover glass frosty like the back glass? How could they do that without making the photos blurry? Or am I missing something??

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Looks worse on the standard 11, it has no need to be so wide for only 2 cameras.

Agree 100%. Would look much more clean with the flash/mic in between the two lenses.

 

[Fried_Gold]

Do you mean make the cover glass frosty like the back glass? How could they do that without making the photos blurry? Or am I missing something??

The square is glossy on the 11 pro so it doesn't match the matte back, nothing to do with the camera lenses.

 

[UKapple73]

The square is glossy on the 11 pro so it doesn't match the matte back, nothing to do with the camera lenses.

Sorry, see what you mean now. Thought there was a cover glass over the lenses like the Xs max but there isn’t. My bad

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I'm not concerned in the least about the camera bump. The phone goes in a case, anyway.
[doublepost=1568309565][/doublepost]

Don't worry by this time next year people will find something else to bitch about. Remember the notch?

What notch?

 

[Rogifan]

For me the camera bumps always look worse in photos than IRL because they’re usually closeups which make the lenses look bigger than they are.

 

[Wags]

Here's the thing, this bump is apparently less pronounced than the iPhone X, but at the same time it has that weird two layer thing going on.

Also worried about cases thick enough to make the bump inside the case. Much larger camera area exposed to potential accidents.

 

[44267547]

Ahh, yes, the camera bump threads...

Honestly, I’ve never had an issue with the camera bump whatsoever, it’s never once occurred to me that I find it ‘ugly or dysfunctional’. I find the back my iPhone very uninteresting and I don’t care if the camera bump exists or not, I simply just want the [quality of the photos and the technology]. I’m assuming that’s also most general consumers probably share my mindset.