It’s likely many months until Apple debuts new models of its iPhone lineup, but the rumor mill is on overdrive of late with images purporting to show iPhone 17 designs that include a camera bar on the back.
One of those leaked images, which shows what appears to be the rear shell of an iPhone with a camera bar across the top, comes from Majin Bu, an Apple watcher who correctly predicted the iPhone 16’s desert titanium color in 2024. Bu is not always right; as Macrumors points out, he was wrong about an iPad 11 release the year before.
The latest leak, which could be of a 3D-printed amateur prototype or a sophisticated fake, does seem to align with other iPhone 17 rumors and speculation about Apple’s direction with its next smartphone lineup. Analysts say they expect Apple to introduce a “Slim” or “Air” version of the iPhone with a smaller screen that is less bulky than the Plus or Pro Max.Â
The image shared by Bu features a design that consolidates all the lenses on the back of the phone onto an oval-shaped bar, not unlike what Google uses on its Pixel phones. Rumors suggest the new design would combine glass and aluminum rather than the titanium material that Apple has been touting.Â
There’s also speculation that the Majin Bu image could be for a new iPhone SE model, if the company chooses to release a fourth-generation model of the budget phone.Â
Other Apple rumor-watchers, including Vadim Yuryev at Max Tech, believe the camera bar, if true, could be controversial but ultimately a work of “genius” if it delivers a device that can record horizontal and vertical video at the same time.Â
Speculation about the iPhone 17 line has also included rumors about higher screen refresh rates, updated camera lenses and, of course, upgrades to Apple’s flagship processors for the iPhone.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.