This Could Be the iPhone 11's Final Design

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A tweeted image of iPhone molds shows how this year's phones will arrange the cameras, and it matches much of what we've already about the iPhone 11.

Whether you love the way Apple will reportedly arrange the camera lenses on this year's iPhone releases or you loathe it, you better get used to it. Because all signs point to all three iPhone models adopting a large camera patch to house the multi-lens arrays Apple has planned for this fall.

The latest sign that this is the design Apple's opting for comes via an image tweeted out by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who's gotten more scoops than Baskin-Robbins over the years. The tweet shows an image of alleged iPhone case moldings for all three rumored models. And each one features a slightly raised bump in the upper left corner to house the phone's different cameras. 

These new images are in line with leaks we've already seen that herald a triple-lens setup for the successors to the iPhone XS and XS Max. As with past iPhone 11 renders, this new photo shows the three cameras deployed in a triangular array in a patch that's set apart from the back of the phone with a noticeable bump. (Some renders show the bump more seamlessly integrated into the glass back of the iPhone, as Apple reportedly looks for ways to make the cameras less prominent.)

It's been a divisive look, to say the least, with some Apple observers fearing that the design calls too much attention to the cameras, especially when compared to horizontal and vertical camera arrays favored by other phones with three lenses like the Galaxy S10 and Huawei P30. Other iPhone watchers are less concerned, pointing to Apple's rumored plans to use dark coating on the back of its phones to downplay the lenses.

Rumored iPhone 11 molds (Credit: @markgurman)

(Image credit: Rumored iPhone 11 molds (Credit: @markgurman))

The tweet from Gurman also gives us a look at what Apple may do with the successor to the iPhone XR, which will reportedly add a second lens when it arrives this fall. While we've seen renders touting a similar design, this photo of the XR's mold shows two cameras stacked on top of each other with the flash off to the side. That's definitely a departure from the vertical stack Apple uses on its current dual-lens iPhones.

The iPhone 11 is widely expected to come in three versions, matching the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max Apple released last fall. The XS and XS Max will add an ultra wide lens to the main camera and telephoto shooters. The successor to the iPhone XR would gain a second lens that adds an optical zoom.

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

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