Chances are you hate this protruding camera module pictured above on your current iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s. According to a new rumor on the iPhone 7 design (via Mac Rumors), the next iPhone could have a flush rear camera. The antenna bands across the back would also disappear.
The iPhone 6 casing was significantly thinner than the iPhone 5s casing. But there was a drawback — you can’t really make the camera module thinner if you want to keep a great camera. Right now, the camera module is the thickest part in the iPhone.
That’s why there’s a bump. That’s also why most Android phones today have a bump around the camera. It’s not an issue if you use a case, but if Apple could remove this bump it would do it.
There are two possibilities. Camera module makers have gotten much better recently and they can now make slimmer modules. Or Apple found a way to get the same picture quality with a new technique.
Combined with the recent rumor that Apple is thinking about using a dual-camera system, a slimmer camera module doesn’t sound too far off.
It’s unclear whether using two separate lenses would make the camera module slimmer, but it could be a way to split the components into two stacks.
Back in December, 60 Minutes unveiled that 800 people are working on the iPhone camera at Apple. Apple is probably always evaluation ways to make the camera module smaller, but the company also has other concerns — margins and production.
Switching to a dual-camera sensor could prove to be more expensive for Apple. Anything that reduces the margin on the iPhone hurts the company’s bottom line. And because Apple sells tens of millions of iPhones per quarter, the company wants to avoid supply chain constraints. But I really hate this stupid camera bump.
