Remember those high-resolution renders of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max successor with the chunky square-shaped camera bump taking up an unhealthy amount of room in the top left-hand corner of the rear panel?
Well, it turns out those renders were probably very accurate.
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Popular accessory maker Olixar has started to sell camera protectors for the forthcoming iPhone 11 range, which will debut in early September provided that Apple follows the same launch schedule as previous years.
The accessory is designed to shield the camera module, which protrudes from the body of the handset and is more vulnerable to knocks and scuffs. The item is "already in mass production and available for sale," according to online store MobileFun, which is stocking the item right now.
Interestingly, Olixar refers to the as-yet unannounced smartphone as iPhone 11.
With the iPhone X, Apple moved away from numbers to Roman numerals – with the iPhone XS following suit (yes, the Apple marketing team really do want you to pronounce it "iPhone 10 S" and not "Excess"). As it stands, there are conflicting reports around whether Apple will continue this trend with iPhone XI, or revert to its previous naming convention (iPhone 11), or try something new – like the way it uses places in California to name versions of macOS (iPhone Lassen Volcanic, anyone?).
Aside from the slightly chunky design, there's a lot to be gleaned from these camera protectors. First off, it seemingly confirms earlier whispers that the iPhone XS follow-up will have three lens – up from the dual-camera system on the phone at the moment.
Previous rumours suggest Apple will add an ultra-wide angle camera to the existing wide-angle and telephoto set-up in a bid to see-off competition from the likes of Huawei, Oppo and Samsung which all already offer the feature. There will also be a quad-LED flash in the raised, square-design camera module.
Meanwhile, the iPhone XR successor will be upgraded from a single rear-camera to the same dual-camera seen on the previous year's flagship smartphone.
Olixar has also started to sell screen protectors for the iPhone 11 which suggests that Apple will add a slew of additional sensors to its Face ID system to make it more secure and faster. Apple has already claimed that unlocking your existing handset with Face ID will be 30% faster with the upgrade to iOS 13, so it's possible this next-generation will be seriously fast.
This tallies with previous rumours that suggest the next iPhone models will identical from the front – with the same curvaceous notch and all-screen OLED panel. According to a very reliable source, Apple will shake things up dramatically in 2020 with new screen sizes, and designs... so those who don't like the current design (and pretty sizeable notch compared to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S10, Huawei P30 Pro and other rivals) should probably wait out this year.
Elsewhere, the iPhone XS and XS Max successor is tipped to boast the ability to wirelessly charge accessories from the back of the handset. It is also likely to ship with a fast-charger in the box.
