The iPhone’s design is getting long in the tooth, with each yearly release inspiring memes about the stale look. Apple has finally gotten the memo it seems and could surprise everyone with a new back design for the
iPhone 17 series.
According to a rumor from Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station first picked up by Notebookcheck, the iPhone 17 series, or at least the rumored Air/Slim model, will feature a horizontal camera island. An accompanying iPhone 17 render showcases a phone with a horizontally stacked camera array at the topmost part of the phone.
Some iPhone 17 models may feature a horizontal camera strip. | Image Credit – Digital Chat Station
This will be a stark departure from the current squarish camera bump on the top left of the iPhone 16 series.
Digital Chat Station has a decent though not spotless track record, so however wild this leak may sound, it’s hard to dismiss it entirely.
Besides, some other leaks appear to corroborate this design rumor. For instance, according to an image of what’s being referred to as an iPhone frame, the iPhone 17 does seem to have a Google Pixel-style camera island.
According to the
person behind the leak, the ultra-wide angle sensor will be placed in the middle, presumably to ensure that it doesn’t take up the space reserved for Face ID.Â
The iPhone 17’s ultra-wide angle camera will apparently be placed in the middle. | Image Credit –Â Schrodinger’s British Shorthair” 
Similarly, a November report claimed that the
iPhone 17 Pro would feature a larger rectangular camera bump. Granted, today’s rumors don’t point to a rectangular camera array, but the gist of these leaks is that the stovetop camera bump is on its way out.The
iPhone 17 Pro Max is additionally also rumored to feature a smaller Dynamic Island, and this, combined with the new camera strip, will give it a new look. This could increase its chances of beating other
top phones and reclaiming any market share Apple may have lost to Google, or other
Android phones for that matter.
The Pro phones may also abandon titanium and switch to an aluminum design, though
this rumor has been disputed by Digital Chat Station. The back might feature a part-aluminum, part-glass design.
