iPhone 8 Leak Reveals A Nasty New Surprise
iPhone 8 Leak Reveals A Nasty New Surprise:- Apple AAPL -0.23%’s iPhone 8 is going to get a lot right. My exclusive images confirm a dramatic upgrade, its biggest changes combine cutting edge with overdue catch-ups and it feels great in-hand. But my time with a late stage prototype has also confirmed one infuriating design flaw…
‘Great Secret Features’ and ‘Nasty Surprises’ are my regular columns investigating the latest hardware and software for the best features / biggest problems hidden behind the headlines
For all its inevitable photographic improvements, Apple’s new vertically aligned dual rear camera causes physical problems. I’ll break them down:
#1 Shake, Rattle And Roll
In a nutshell, the iPhone 8 is a pain to use on a flat surface. Why? Because the protrusion of the new rear cameras is not only bigger this year, it also extends further down the phone. This means on a flat surface the iPhone 8 rocks, rolls and rattles a lot more than even the iPhone 7 Plus (whose horizontal rear cameras provide more stability).
I also find the increased angle the iPhone 8 lies at when flat to be inconvenient, though I’m sure others will cope just fine. That said you’re going to want to pick up the iPhone 8 to use comfortably more than previous iPhones, so it wouldn’t have been the worst compromise if Apple had built Touch ID into the back rather than ditching it altogether.
#2 Wear, Tear and Contact Area
The other issue the iPhone 8’s new vertical cameras create is one of contact.
Firstly the enlarged cameras lift the whole back of the phone off a flat surface so every impact when putting the iPhone 8 down is to the cameras’ rim and opposite bottom corner of the phone (the two pivot points which cause the phone to rock). With Apple switching to a glass chassis this may protect the back, but there are two clear contact points which will surely scuff and scratch over time.
Secondly don’t put the iPhone 8 on a slippy surface. Again these two minimal contact points (maybe a few millimetres square in total) mean this smartphone is going to slip and slide all over the place. The Nexus 4 was a similarly suicidal phone so be very careful where you put the iPhone 8 down.
The Case Problem
Of course I know what the main counterpoint to all this is: just put a case on it! Well yes and no.
Firstly buying a case should be a choice and not something to simply make a phone usable/safe on a flat surface, and secondly iPhone 8 cases will need to be substantially thicker to both level out the smartphone and still provide enough protection for the cameras’ rim.
It’s a shame. The iPhone 8 is a stunning looking phone but I doubt many owners will get to see it much.
The Sensible Solution
Ultimately the more sensible solution should come from Apple. It should either double down its efforts to create a flush camera like produced with iPhones 1-5 or fill out the rest of the smartphone with a larger battery to hide the bump. Two birds, one stone.
Personally I’ve been arguing for the latter for many years, but with the iPhone 8 set to be the most expensive iPhone in history (and a rare find at launch) maybe Apple will label its increased camera protrusion as a feature. After all it will remind you this prized device needs a case every time you put it down…
Source:- https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2017/08/20/iphone-8-camera-spec-design-price-release-date/#24f497cb6fa3
