An example of a supposed camera placement on the iPhone 17 Slim – Image Credit: Digital Chat Station/Weibo
At least one model of the iPhone 17 could end up with a camera bar instead of the regular bump, according to a pair of new, overlapping rumors.
The rumored iPhone 17 Slim will be a difficult device for Apple to produce due to the reduced amount of internal space. While design alterations are expected for the model, two leakers believe it could radically adjust how it treats the cameras.
According to “Digital Chat Station” on Weibo supposedly based on supply chain materials, the iPhone 17’s design will reconfigure its rear camera bump away from the existing corner-based styles. Instead, it will use a “kind of strip runway” for the camera module.
In a mock-up image supplied with the post, this takes the form of a row of camera modules in a bar-like bump at the top edge. While the leaker doesn’t know the “details of the lens arrangement,” it is proposed via the image that there could be three lenses, with the flash to one side.
Muddying the waters further is an image circulating by “Jukanlosreve” on X, supposedly sourced from Weibo. It depicts a supposed iPhone chassis frame that includes the bar-like bump at one end, matching the Digital Chat Station’s rumors.
A supposed frame for the iPhone 17 Slim – Image credit: Jukanlosreve/X
At such a low resolution, it is difficult to tell whether it is genuine or a render. At this point in the process, the latter is more likely.
Digital Chat Station has been accurate with camera details in the past.
Meanwhile, Jukanlosreve is a relatively young X account that is currently thought to be another name for the serial leaker “Tech_reve” and “Revegnus.” Under the previous names, they have shared many leaks about Apple products, as well as rumor reporting from other sources.
Most recently, this involved leaking a display roadmap for Apple’s hardware, sourced from analysts.
In lieu of more thorough reporting or a larger concentration of leaks and reports, this seems to be a doubtful design choice for a few reasons.
Questionable design
First, Apple hasn’t gone for a bar arrangement on an iPhone in the past. Doing so could bring it down the same road as the Google Pixel line, as well as other Android devices, which may not necessarily be the look Apple’s going for with its own hardware.
While an example image, it also seems unlikely for Apple to place the bump so high up. Even with the bump expanding physical capacity in that spot, there would still be some interference with the front-facing TrueDepth camera array, used for Face ID.
Indeed, it may not even need to deal with that many cameras at all. One report claimed there wouldn’t be a telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Air or Slim, depending on which rumor you believe, as it would only be reserved for the Pro models.
AppleInsider’s renders of a potential iPhone 17 Slim propose the possibility of Apple downgrading to just one camera, to minimize the bump and follow the “Slim” concept further. It’s feasible for Apple to use one high-resolution sensor to fake two optical zoom levels, as that’s a trick current iPhones pull off to great effect.
