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iPhone 12 The Real Reason Apple Chose to Not Shrink the Notch

Trojan Horse

Trojan Horse

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2020
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Full disclosure: While I can’t completely confirm the report I have, my source is close to Apple and has been correct in the past.

One of the biggest questions with the launch of the iPhone 12 series of phones was why Apple didn’t shrink the notch. Apple could have easily done it according to my source within Apple’s production line. Apparently Apple had already been experimenting with prototypes with a smaller notch created by moving the front firing speaker to the top of the phone. However, my source tells me that the production cost for the new layout of the notch was too high compared to the 3 year old layout of the notch that had already had production costs significantly decreased after doing the same layout for 2 years. Ultimately, according to my source, in an effort to have better margins, Apple chose to not shrink the notch.
 
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I think the notch has become as much a part of the new generation of iPhones’ identity as the iconic home button and bezels prior.

I say this because if you notice during commercials and advertisements that use a phone, many more times than not you see that notch design even if they choose to use some dummy phone. Is this the reason Apple keeps it? Who knows.
 
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2021 : “Introducing the iPhone 13 Pro Plus Max with Max screen and minimal notch just $100 more than the iPhone 13 Pro Plus”
 
I recall when Apple first introduced the X and everyone was complaining about the notch, someone mentioned that for years the iPhone was immediately identifiable by its face, with the top/bottom bezel, rectangular screen and home button at the center of the bottom bezel. They pointed out that the notch creates a new immediately identifiable face since the home button and huge bezels have disappeared. So it may be about branding as much as anything technical or logistical. If Apple makes a phone that is all screen save for a dot for the camera and a dot for FaceID, how would you know it’s an iPhone looking at just the front of it?
 
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ARizz44 said:
I think the notch has become as much a part of the new generation of iPhones’ identity as the iconic home button and bezels prior.

I say this because if you notice during commercials and advertisements that use a phone, many more times than not you see that notch design even if they choose to use some dummy phone. Is this the reason Apple keeps it? Who knows.
Click to expand...

With the recent generation of iPhones, I think the camera arrangement plays a much bigger role. So much that all iPhones are now packaged with the display facing down. Every major Android player has done the notch. Everyone is showing off the cameras now.
 
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Cybertox said:
To be honest, Id rather have Apple use the exact same notch over the course of the years and then get rid of it entirely.
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ericwn said:
I’ll take your first post with a grain or two of caution here today.

I am not sure somebody on the production line has full understanding and insight into Apple’s cost, but welcome to Macrumors forums.
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I’ve posted on other Apple related forums before, just haven’t bothered to post on Macrumors. I figured I might as well share the report, so I created an account today.
 
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I said this before and I'll say it again, the iPhone 12 "redesign" wasn't that interesting or exciting because Apple implemented the same untouched 3-year old notch (now it'll be 4 years) on the new iPhones. It just screams lazy design.
 
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ericwn said:
It’s an opinion at this stage. Let’s not call it a report with this level of information.
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I guess it might seem like an opinion, but my source hasn’t ever given opinion based reports. I usually just get reports that have few words and mostly contain statistics surrounding the production line. I don’t expect anyone to believe what I’ve claimed, but I will share future reports that will hopefully garner me some credibility.
 
Apple should just have used Touch ID 3 (power button) in the iPhone 12 mini, and maybe the regular 12. It works great and practically instantly on the Air 4. This way we would have had full screen iPhones again finally. How they would have fit the selfie camera is another discussion (placed in a minimum bezel?). Of course i understand many people love Face ID, but for me personally it would have been perfect. Anyway they have power button Touch ID now, so hopefully next year this will come true in some form or another.
 
I bet that it was or ProMotion, or 5G or a smaller notch. They chose 5G because marketin, putting all three at the same time it would have raised the price too much, expect ProMotion and smaller notch next year.
 
The “front firing” speaker is an earpiece though, imagine how ridiculous you would look during a phone call holding your phone horizontally to hear it if the speaker was like the bottom one lol. Unless I am misunderstanding you. Because to me it’s already at the top and can’t really go any higher.. but my phone is two years old, might as well be two days older then dirt.
 
It sucks that the notch is no smaller in 2020. Seriously. But if I'm being honest it's only an issue with video content in landscape. It's pretty irrelevant in portrait mode which is my default 95% of the time.

I do think the notch will be smaller or gone in the next redesign. Probably 2023.
 
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You did know that you can pinch video in and out right? You don’t have to watch through the notch lol.
 
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