By Tushar Mehta/Updated: March 25, 2022 9:45 am EDT
First introduced with the iPhone X, the notch sparked a significant upheaval in smartphone design. The notch replaced thick bezels on non-Apple smartphones and was subsequently shrunk down to quench the thirst of eager smartphone enthusiasts craving for rapid technology changes. The iPhone’s notch, however, stayed for four more generations after the iPhone X. While Apple is still not ready to let it go completely, the superior devices in the next generation — the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max — are rumored to ditch the notch for a much more compact, dual cutout for the Face ID sensors and the front camera. The metamorphosis has been suggested in several leaks over the last few months. But now, a couple of digital schematics give us a clearer look at how Apple will implement this new design change.
These schematics are shared by renowned tipster and Android Police writer, Max Weinbach, on Twitter and mirror the design revealed by the iPhone 14 Pro’s CAD renders that leaked (via 91Mobile) last week.
iPhone 14 Pro will be chunkier
The images shared by Weinbach appear to have come out straight out of Apple’s designs lab and reveal the exact dimensions of the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max and their massive camera bumps. The iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to gain 0.15mm in terms of thickness while slicing the height by 0.1mm. The iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max will also be narrower than the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The narrower width either hints at slimmer bezels or a slightly recalibrated aspect ratio of the display.
The triple camera setup on the back of the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max is enormous. It measures the same on both the iPhone models and occupies roughly a third of the smaller one’s height. The giant camera bump adds nearly half a centimeter to the thickness of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro, and the components inside it are pretty likely to make the phone bulkier.
Clearer look at the iPhone 14 Pro’s display cutouts
Chris Davies/SlashGear
The leaked schematic also reveals what the successor to the notch might look like. As per the images, there are three circular cavities, and of the three, two are paired together in a pill-shaped chasm. The leaks until now have only suggested a pill-shaped cutout along with a circular one. While the exact purpose of each of these cavities has not been divulged, we can expect these to be for the Face ID’s dot projector, the depth-sensing infrared camera, and the selfie camera on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Notably, Apple is also set to retain a physical slot for the SIM card instead of relinquishing it in favor of an eSIM or an iSIM — as rumored earlier. Previous rumors held that the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max would retain the notch alongside the last year’s A15 Bionic processor, while the Pro variants will sport an improved A16 chip. As we approach the iPhone 14 launch this fall, we hope to learn more about these smartphone models in detail.