leaks and rumors. Front Page Tech host, Jon Prosser, leaked the design of Apple’s 2022 Pro iPhones a day before
became official. While we haven’t seen any other reports that confirm or deny Jon Prosser’s iPhone 4-inspired renders, many OG analysts like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo have backed Prosser’s claims for a different-looking iPhone by saying, “a redesign is coming”.
However, lately, the main topic of discussion seems to be focused on only one area of the iPhone 14 Pro’s design, and this is the infamous notch – or rather whatever the notch is going to be replaced by.
“The smaller hole will not be invisible… The two-hole concept will be unique to Apple, like the notch, not similar to all the pill models from Huawei…”
Interestingly, this leak/rumor isn’t exactly new. It actually dates back to July 2021, when a Twitter user named ShrimpApplePro showed a backplate design with two punch-holes and a caption “Exclusive iPhone 14”, adding that this was an example of what the iPhone 14’s front camera would look like.
ShrimpApplePro didn’t have an established track record back then, so it probably makes sense that not many took the leak seriously, although I have actually used the image in one of my September editorial pieces, conveniently named “California Leaking”.
It has now been confirmed that the backplate design shared by ShrimpApplePro was indeed just an example, which he shared in order to give people a visual idea of what the iPhone 14 Pro’s display cutout will look like. It’s claimed that this is actually a Huawei phone’s backplate design.
iPhone 14 Pro: Brand new dual punch-hole design… Why?!
Renders by EverythingApplePro.
With the lengthy backstory of this leak out of the way, let’s now see how people will respond to it! I don’t know if this is surprising or not, but after the story that broke the news about the dual punch-hole design on the iPhone 14 Pro, many took to Twitter and comment sections on tech websites to complain.
Apple’s decision to make the iPhone 14 Pro different
First of all, we shouldn’t forget that there’s a reason why Apple’s cutout will take up as much screen space as it will. The iPhone’s notch used to be made up of eight different components:
- Infrared camera
- Flood illuminator
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Speaker
- Microphone
- Front camera
- Dot Projector
Of course, iPhone 13 has a much narrower (yet slightly taller) notch, which saw the speaker unit move to the very edge of the chassis, making the cutout about 20% smaller. But as it turns out, Apple’s love for Face ID hasn’t run out yet, as the company is ready to find space for the face-unlocking components even after the notch is gone.
It’s now expected that only three sensors will remain exposed and housed in the new dual cutout:
- The front-facing camera
- The infrared camera
- The dot projector
It’s believed that the above-mentioned sensors can’t be tucked underneath the display just yet. Apple will be looking to make this possible in the future. The remaining components will either move to the upper edge of the iPhone 14 Pro, where the speaker on the iPhone 13 already lives, or under the display.
Apple doesn’t want the iPhone 14 to look like a Galaxy: Marketable design
Also, if the only goal was to give the iPhone 14 Pro as much screen real estate as possible, Apple would’ve brought back Touch ID and stuck with a minimal single-punch hole design. But not! And that’s for a reason.
Apple’s marketable design choices through the years
Today, even if you turn the iPhone around, you’ll see that ever since the iPhone 11 Pro, the rear cameras form a triangle. While there’s indeed a very functional element to that design, it also makes the iPhone stand out. Of course, flat sides have also made a comeback with the iPhone 12, providing for an even more distinguishable look. However, many Android manufacturers have already started to adopt this design element too.
Last but not least, the iPhone isn’t even the only Apple product that falls a “victim” of marketable design. The latest MacBook Pro laptops have a notch just for the sake of having a one. There isn’t a fancy Face ID system there. Apple just wants the laptops to be easily recognizable. Do I think this makes them look less appealing? Yes. Do the people who flock to buy them care? Not really.
iPhone 14 Pro: Less is more?
Renders by EverythingApplePro.
While the new iPhone 14 Pro design isn’t confirmed, we can confidently say it’s now backed by a number of rather reliable figures like Jon Prosser, Ming-Chi Kuo, Mark Gurman, and Ross Young. As Young pointed out, “the two-hole concept will be unique to Apple, like the notch.”
We still don’t know if iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will go full “iPhone 4” when it comes to the rest of the design. But if Jon Prosser’s renders are accurate, we should see a new titanium frame sandwiched between two flat glass sheets; circular volume buttons, two elongated speaker units on the button; and virtually no camera bump.
All of this would make the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max very recognizable, and I believe the Pro models will almost be able to market themselves. You’ll always know an iPhone 14 Pro is an iPhone 14 Pro when you spot it in the real world or even when you see its silhouette on Apple.com.
So in a way, by making the iPhone 14 Pro “less attractive, Apple might actually make it… more attractive. That’s “marketable design” for you.