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iPhone 14 Pro weird notch replacement to teach Android an Apple lesson on design

By Martin Filipov

Updated: Jan 24, 2022, 3:14 AM

49comments

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

iPhone 14 Pro weird notch replacement to teach Android an Apple lesson on design

It’s only January, and we’ve already gone through a whirlpool of iPhone 14 Pro leaks and rumors. Front Page Tech host, Jon Prosser, leaked the design of Apple’s 2022 Pro iPhones a day before iPhone 13 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.

Initially, Jon Prosser’s leaked renders showed us a Galaxy S22-inspired single punch hole, centered in the middle, while a few months after, rumors started pointing towards a pill-shaped cutout, again placed in the centre of the screen.

Well, at least for now, it turns out we can’t accept any of them for legit since the man with a 100% accurate track record when it comes to leaks has weighed in on the topic. Display analyst Ross Young says that he now believes Apple will have a hole and a pill design on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.

“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.

Comments with hundreds of likes side with the notch and say this new design is even weirder and more intrusive. They claim it would be more noticeable than the notch. On the other hand, I personally like the idea of a dual-punch hole design, and it even appeals to me more than a traditional single-punch hole. But that’s not important. It’s more interesting to answer the question, “why is Apple doing this?”

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

Still, let's not forget that while Face ID is a very convenient excuse for Apple to go with this design, it’s not like Tim Cook and company are entirely out of options. First of all, Apple could’ve gone with a simple elongated cutout.

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.

While I often encourage readers to look at design from two perspectives - aesthetic and functional - things can go beyond that with companies like Apple. Designing with magnetism in mind is what I call marketable design. The iPhone 14 Pro’s unique dual cutout will make it more recognizable than any other “generic-looking” Android phone out there, and Apple knows and wants this.

Apple’s marketable design choices through the years

This approach to design is far from something new to Apple’s universe. If you look at the original iPhone and the iPhone SE from 2020, you’ll see that the silhouette of the device hasn’t changed all that much, at least from the front. You have your home button below the screen and thick bezels all around, making the iPhone look like an iPhone (for over a decade).

In 2017 Apple had to figure out how to move with the times while still making the iPhone recognizable on the street, on websites, billboards, and TV commercials. At the time, virtually all Android smartphones that went “all-screen” opted for fingerprint sensors on the side or rear; later under the display. But not Apple. The result was Face ID, and the byproduct of that was the rather unique-looking notch.

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.

From my personal experience, different display cutouts such as notches and punch-holes tend to practically disappear when you're engaging with the content on your screen. That being said, a big notch will definitely be more noticeable when watching a video in landscape mode, when it literally cuts into the picture. Unless you don't zoom in, of course.

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.

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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.