iPhone 14 Pro Max leak shows what happens when the notch is dropped
An ideal future
We've already seen loads of iPhone 14 renders leaked that show us how the standard and Pro models could look, and now we've finally got a glimpse at what the biggest member of the family, the Pro Max, could look like.
This comes from a leaker called ShrimpApplePro, who is quite a new name in the tech leaking game, though they have enough of a track record to be worth covering. On Twitter, they posted computer-assisted design (CAD) renders that they "obtained", whatever that means.
Here are the images of the cad file and full measurements of iPhone 14 Pro Max that I obtained. I will share more details about it in the coming newsletter. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/CTLLVOtgb7April 4, 2022
The pictures mainly focus on the front of the phone, in particular the 'punch-hole' cameras, which sit in a cut-out segment of the screen. For the last few years, Apple has used a chunky notch to house the front cameras and Face ID array, but rumors have started suggesting that the company will follow most Android manufacturers in using cut-outs instead.
Judging by the iPhone 14 Pro Max renders, we're keen for this change - compared to the giant display, the cameras look rather small, so they won't take up much screen space. It also gives the phone a significant design change from the iPhone 13 Pro Max, enough to make it distinct.
Analysis: let the notch go
When we first started hearing iPhone 14 leaks, some pointed to the notch being gone - many people, including certain members of the TechRadar team, thought these rumors were outlandish.
The sheer number of sources pointing to the upcoming series of phones using a punch-hole camera array, though, is really starting to suggest that this is a reality.
While pre-launch news and rumors are often quite tentative, now and then we hear something so much that it's all but guaranteed. That was the case for 5G and flat edges in the iPhone range, and it's proving the same for the notch eradication (and also the iPhone 14 Max being introduced into the range, to replace the Mini line).
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So we're pretty confident that the iPhone 14 Pro series will drop the notch - not certain, just because of the infinitesimal chance that all these sources are wrong - but it's very, very likely.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.