this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2025
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Assuming he's right (and boy, being sued by apple is a huge boost to his credibility), they're keeping the stupid camera bump thing from the air???
The camera bump sure isn’t going away for a folding phone. cameras have fundamental volume requirements to maintain quality, if they don’t think they can justify making the normal iPhone thick enough to enclose the camera then there’s no way in hell they’ll think the folding phones doubled width can include it, if anything you’d expect it to be more prominent on a folding model
It does not surprise me that the Air is literally the folding phone without the second screen.
It slightly does me, given that the Air was (apparently) a huge commercial flop. You'd think they'd revisit the soundly mocked design instead of recycling it, or at least change it? The renders may very well be overstating it, of course, but still it's an odd feature to carry over.
It was a flop because no one really wants thinner phones, they are harder to use. The iPhone Air was also extremely overpriced and missing basic features a phone a quarter of the price has.
Yes, those are all great points that make up a good portion of why they should probably revisit the design.
Or maybe stop trying to make expensive electronics as thin as possible.
Thin is fine. But you should use that newly free space for a bigger battery. It fits better in people's hands that way too.
Exactly, and it's easier to make them user serviceable that way too.
I've never understood the desire to make $1k+ electronics super thin, but then again I step on things a lot. I guess the fragility could be a form of planned obsolescence.
how do you propose removing it?
there are two options, 1) using a smaller,shittier camera, or 2) making an extremely thick phone. neither option is very “apple”, especially for a flagship model.
considering the vast majority of people use phone cases and will never notice the bump anyway, i think this whole thing is blown way out of proportion.
No thicker than very popular and successful phones from just 5 years ago. They can use the extra space for a larger battery, so they dont have to nerf performance to maintain stability in older phones. They can also use the space to restore repairability.
But probably not for a folding phone, since making both sides that thick will probably be too much.
Phones 5 years ago have lightyears worse cameras than phones today.
But their thickness can accomidate todays cameras.
...no they can’t. Do you realize just how thick modern camera bumps are? Even not including the bump phones nowadays are thicker than phones 5 years ago.
The iPhone X was 7.7mm thick. The iPhone 17 pro excluding the bump is 8.7.
Damn, I keep forgetting that the iphone X was already 5 years ago. 10 years ago then. There has been so little improvements in phones in the ladt 5 years, it all just blurs together.
I think the point is, we used to have phones that were 9mm+ thick. Iphone 4s and iphone 5c from Apple and Samsung Galaxy S3 and motorola G phones were all that thickness. They even had replacable batteries and expandable storage. Some of those were even waterproof despite all of that.
I think the main driver of impractical thinness has been marketing, planned obselecence and cost savings.
lol how is 11mm extremely thick
how is it not?
You said so yourself.
If phone cases make the bump (and perceived problem) disappear, everyone must be using extremely thick phones already.
You can't have both, not that I agree with 11mm being extremely thick anyway, case or not.
The marketing about it being an incredibly thin phone was a misstep - it just looked absurd to have such a chunky lump stuck onto it, and it felt very much like they were attempting a have cake / eat cake situation by claiming it had incredible camera stats (which werent very good) to justify the bump on an otherwise amazingly thin phone, and then that giant electronics bump had an external lens on it too.
Had it just been an ugly phone, I doubt it would have met with anywhere near the same criticism, but all the adcopy about how thin it was overtop of photos where you could see it had a giant lump on it felt really dishonest, and if this article is accurate it may count among the biggest apple flops ever.
(The thickness may just need to be accepted at this point. The S25 Ultra is 8.2mm, which is thinner than the Air if you include the bump. It seems like the camera wasnt the issue then, but that they hamstrung their design team with their drive for a thin phone. What elegance might even an extra millimeter of chassis space produced?)
are you talking about the Air? last time i checked all iphone models have a camera bump.
People really don't seem to understand that in the electronics world, one single millimeter can make worlds of difference.
You absolutely can cram so much more stuff in "dumber" electronics, but phones are even more constricted in design, because they need to send and receive signals of different types, so feedback and signal noise are concerns.
Adding in even slightly more space allows for much better design, because you have more tolerances to reduce signal noise. It allows dozens of wires for camera sensors to route better. A 20% longer battery life. Heck, just being slightly more ergonomic and less droppable is a bonus to slightly thicker phones.
I didn't even consider signal noise until I got into fpv drones and rc stuff, it can mame a ton of difference if you have a single wire 2mm out of place. (and crash your drone because the motor interfered with your antenna)
Thiner≠better.
Wildly appropriate username here. Also, 100% correct.
The marketing had nothing to do with it not selling. Pick one up, yeah it’s thin but it’s also a bar of soap to hold. Plus a ton of deal breaking trade off like less battery life and poor camera system compared to the alternative iPhone 17s/Pros.
Lol "extremely thick phone". Get that apple boot, you got it to your gills this time. Only when it's razor thin and cuts the hands of the unworthy will then your lust be satisfied.
I mean, being stupid thin is something that a foldable phone has to be, so that it ends up being normal-ish thickness when folded. So it tracks that they'd design it like their ultra-thin phone.
But it's not stupid thin, it's got a giant lump on it?
Thinness should be defined by it's thickest point.
No no is clearly the thinnest iPhone ever, just look at it, can't see anything wrong calling it that. So thin. Amazing, how can apple do such a marvel of engineering.
I know better cameras demand more space, but you cant claim your phone is thin with them. Not that I think thin phones are useful, pointless gimmick.
5.6 - 9 - 5.6
hip - waist - bust
If it's good enough for girls it's good enough for phones
I've never heard a girl use those measurements.
Women, however, use them frequently enough.
Sorry for being pedantic but it rubs me the wrong way when people refer to women as "girls"
Edit: Guess this part of lemmy is cool with infantilizing women. Didn't know people around here were cool with sharing traits with pedophiles, but here we are.
How do you feel about cunts?
While noble, that was a tongue in cheek diminutive and I was including myself in that category.
The stupid camera bump thing they totally didn't steal from Google
Edit: Yes, I'm totally butthurt about that guys. Fuck Tim Apple!!11
are we really going to start counting who stole what in all smartphone design.
"These assholes included an antenna and SIM slot again!?! HTC did that last season. So unoriginal."
I wish they still included a SIM card slot.
100% of the phones I purchase include the SIM slot. No joke.
I want even aware iPhone users lost this ability with the iPhone 14 and beyond, until your remark. I'm so sorry. :(
It’s not just iPhone anymore. Pixel 10 removed the SIM card as well.
Business as usual, I see. There but by the grace of the gods go we all.
Idk, explaining how the crap iPhone is 99 % IP theft doesn't really lead anywhere.
I sort of assumed that these days design patents are mostly ignored by smartphone companies.
After a while it just makes sense to drop the legal stuff and stop wasting money on constant lawsuits.
This folding iPhone also looks like the Pixel Fold
Man anyone else remember the Nexus 6P?