Apple is expected to ship four new iPhone models in the fall, with the handsets expected to reduce the notch size while slightly increasing the overall body thickness.
Say Goodbye to the Camera Bump
According to a recent report by Japanese-language Mac Otakara, the upcoming iPhone 13 family should feature a rear camera assembly that is 0.9mm thicker. On the upside, the entire camera module is said to be flush with the housing—no protruding lenses whatsoever—and covered by a piece of sapphire glass.
The iPhone 13’s ultra-wide and telephoto lenses may be getting sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which Apple implemented for the first time on the rear wide camera of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. All four iPhone 13 models are expected to feature the iPhone 4-inspired flat edges, with the handset’s chassis thickness expected to increase by 0.26mm.
Other rumors have mentioned that all four iPhone 13 models will be getting Apple’s LiDAR scanner along with a 120Hz ProMotion display, thanks to a little help from Samsung.
But the biggest story here is the smaller notch.
The iPhone Notch Is Getting Smaller
All new iPhone 13 models should have a slimmer TrueDepth notch thanks to several small-but-important design changes. Citing sources from within Apple’s Chinese supply chain, the publication claims that the iPhone’s earpiece will be relocated toward the top bezel.
The iPhone 12’s ear speaker is nested between the TruDepth flood illuminator and infrared camera to the left, and the dot projector plus with the front-facing camera to the right. As a result, the relocated earpiece may yield a smaller notch region on the iPhone 13 models.
The notch on the iPhone 12 is largely identical to preceding models.
A No-Notch iPhone, Anyone?
But why not remove the notch completely? Because Apple doesn’t seem willing to embrace punch-hole displays like Samsung and other Android makers. That leaves Apple with another option: push the earpiece into the top bezel, above the TrueDepth components.
We probably won’t know for sure whether the new iPhones will deliver smaller notices until the fall, as that is when the company usually unveils new handsets.