iPhone 7 with a huge ugly camera bump looking very likely
The iPhone 6 and 6S's most hated feature (aside from starting with 16GB of internal storage and the ugly antenna lines) is the protruding camera lens bump.
Fans hoping for Apple to flatten it down so the entire phone is flush on the back again will likely be disappointed when the iPhone 7 launches this year because it's probably not going to happen.
Corroborating previous leaks, the reliable Nowhereelse.fr has obtained an image of what is reportedly the case for the iPhone 7.
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The image shows an aluminum body that closely resembles the iPhone 6S, but with re-worked antenna lines and a camera cutout that's significantly larger than the one on the current iPhone 6S.
In other words: OH MY FRICKIN' GOD THAT'S HIDEOUS.
The camera bump, as Apple chief design officer Jony Ive told The New Yorker last year was a "pragmatic optimization." Ive didn't elaborate, but it's clear the image sensor was simply too large to fit into the slim iPhone 6 and 6S's profile.
It's time we get over the camera bump since phone makers are unlikely to make their devices significantly thicker to accommodate better image sensors.
And it looks like the bump will only get bigger for this year's iPhone. A larger camera bump indicates there will be some kind of major camera improvement, which is a great thing. But an improvement doesn't make the bump any prettier. A case, like the many that are available for the iPhone 6 and 6S, will minimize the bump, but from a pure design standpoint, it looks like Apple's going to be making a concession yet again.
Competing devices like Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge also have rather large camera bumps to accommodate their larger and faster camera sensors.
The iPhone 7's larger camera bump might not even be the biggest, ugliest one yet. The larger iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to come with two camera lenses on the back, which means it'll have an even larger and wider camera bump. Double yuck!
At this point, maybe it's time we get over the camera bump. It's clearly here to stay until the image sensors get thinner or phone makers build thicker phones. And knowing Apple, devices almost always get thinner, not thicker.
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Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
