As we prepare for the iPhone 11 later this year, the first reports are starting to emerge to offer some details on the device’s features. One thing that is unclear, however, is whether or not the iPhone 11 (iPhone XI?) will usher in a new design, or feature the same edge-to-edge design of the iPhone X.
With the 2018 iPad Pros, Apple reintroduced a unibody design with a more industrial look and feel. Gone are the curved edges that have long graced the iPad and are still prominent on the iPhone. The 2018 iPad Pros feature sharp edges and feel more like one piece of aluminum than before.
Of course, this is a design Apple has used with the iPhone before. In many ways, the 2018 iPad Pros harken back to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 days, where the iPhone featured a boxier design.
While details on the iPhone 11’s design are unclear, one of the most common suggestions has been for Apple to bring the 2018 iPad Pro design to this year’s iPhone refresh. Need an idea of what this might look like? Halide developer Sebastiaan de With created the render seen above.
As you can see, there are numerous similarities between this design and the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 days. However, the edge-to-edge display breathes new life into the iconic design.
The squared-off design wouldn’t mean Apple could remove the camera bump. The 2018 iPad Pros are still hampered by the eyesore. Further, with a three-camera design purportedly coming to the iPhone 11, it doesn’t seem as if Apple has any plans to remove the bump.
The flat edges do offer some downsides in comparison to curved designs. For instance, without the curved sides, the iPad is harder to pick up off of a flat surface with one hand as there’s no way to get your hand underneath. Additionally, the flat design may be slightly more susceptible to deformities like bending – or, rather, the design makes slight bends more noticeable.
If you’re Apple, going into year three with the same design would be an interesting choice, especially as iPhone sales slow. Updating the iPhone 11’s design to match that of the new iPad Pro would certainly help spark interest into the new iPhones ad spur people to upgrade.
Personally, I’d love to see Apple make this change. I am a huge fan of the 2018 iPad Pro’s design and I’d absolutely welcome an iPhone with a similar design. What about you? Should Apple bring the iPad Pro design to the iPhone 11? Take the poll below and let us know your thoughts down in the comments!
Honestly, if they update nothing about the iPhone in 2019 and just restyle it to match these new iPads I’d be pretty stoked. (extremely crummy quick Photoshop:) pic.twitter.com/Bkb45obfs0
— Sebastiaan de With (@sdw) October 30, 2018
