It seems Apple has finally put the antiquated notch design to bed according to schematics leaked on Weibo
Schematics of the iPhone 14 Pro - according to leak on Chinese social media(Image credit: Weibo)
Sketches of the new iPhone 14 Pro have been shared by a leaker on Chinese social media site Weibo, which has come to our attention via TechRadar. Assuming the leak is to be believed, it tells us that, compared to the iPhone 13, the new phone will be taller, thicker but less wide, but only by up to millimetres so it won’t give the phone a new look per se. Much more interestingly – sorry die-hard Apple fans – the sketches show two punch-holes in the screen to house the front camera and Face ID array, placed where we would have expected to see the notch seen on all earlier Apple smartphones.
Apple’s notches started with the iPhone X, where the removal of the home button and the addition of a notch allowed the company to offer consumers a big improvement in screen-to-body ratio. Apple was able to implement the notch design because of their huge advancement in facial recognition technology – the notch allowing them to make a screen that filled the phone from top to bottom, while still keeping the IR dot projector that powered Face ID.
Apple’s notch design undoubtedly had a major influence on the vast majority of device designers, who all jumped into the notch design, making it something we all expected to see in a modern smartphone. However, as technology has advanced and manufacturers can offer screens that fill phone bodies, most Android manufacturers dropped the notch years ago, where as Apple has, allegedly until now, held onto this antiquated design feature.
We first reported on the plethora of iPhone 14 leaks alleging to Apple replacing the notch design on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and employing a punch “hole + pill design” instead, about two weeks ago. While we can never be sure, the more leaks and rumor saying the same thing usually means there is truth in it.
iPhone 14: Rumors so far
Informed by a TrendForce report detailing camera module shipments, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models are rumoured to include a new main sensor, with a significant upgrade from 12MP to 48MP. It’s also alleged that Apple will support both 48MP and 12MP shooting modes to allow for 48MP images to be captured in well-lit conditions and 12MP images in lower light, giving users the option to choose.
Back in November last year we reported on a fresh leak claiming Apple is considering ditching Lightning port in favor of USB-C for the forthcoming iPhone 14 Pro. Like the no notch design, this has been alleged by several sources now making it even more likely. Several sources are also saying that the iPhone 14 model will be the one that sees Apple remove the iPhone’s physical SIM card slot, instead leaving the new range entirely reliant on digital eSIMs.
Lastly, we’ve heard via reliable yet anonymous leaker, LeaksApplePro, in his iDropNews column that Apple will be passing the increased production costs owed to the new design on the iPhone 14b onto the consumer.
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The tipster alleges three out of the four new models will come with heftier price tags with the iPhone 14 at $799, iPhone 14 Max at $899, iPhone 14 Pro at $1,099 and iPhone 14 Pro Max at $1,199.
Rachael is a British journalist with 18 years experience in the publishing industry. Since working on www.digitalcameraworld.com, she’s been freelancing, and contributing to some of the world’s best-loved websites and magazines including T3.com and TechRadar.com and has also had a book, iPad for Photographers, published. She's currently acting as editor of 5GRadar.com - a website specializing in the latest cellular technology.
