Rumors suggest that changes in form are coming. IPhone 17 It could be significant, especially in the design of the rear camera. However, there is no clear information yet on whether these changes will affect the performance and capabilities of the camera.
Camera redesign problem
Several reports suggest that Apple may move on the iPhone 17 Pro models from the traditional triangular lens arrangement to a long horizontal strip, similar to the one used on the Google Pixel 9.
However, there is conflicting information, with at least one source claiming that the iPhone 17 Pro models will retain the current triangular arrangement while making changes to the materials used to build the iPhone's back cover.
The main point of concern with adopting a horizontal design is its potential impact on the device's ability to record spatial video for Apple Vision Pro glasses, a feature currently supported on the iPhone 15 Pro and all iPhone 16 models.
What is spatial video?
Spatial video is an advanced type of video format that gives a 3D experience by filming content from different angles. When a user wears Apple Vision Pro glasses, this technology allows them to feel as if they are physically present in the place being filmed, making the experience much better than regular 2D video.
How to make spatial video
To record spatial video, the phone needs to use two cameras working at the same time when the iPhone is held horizontally. The horizontal distance between the two cameras is very important because it simulates the distance between the human eyes and creates a sense of depth.
Unlike regular 3D video which displays a fixed perspective, spatial video offers six degrees of freedom in motion. This means that when the viewer changes their position, the angle of the scene in the video changes appropriately.
When we say that spatial video provides “six degrees of freedom in motion,” it means that a viewer wearing Apple Vision Pro glasses can move and look in all possible directions naturally, just as they would in real life. They can walk forward and backward, move right and left, go up and down, tilt their head, look up and down, and turn in any direction, and in all of these movements the view in the video will change naturally as if they were there.
On the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro, spatial video is recorded using the main and ultra-wide cameras aligned vertically. That’s why Apple designed the dual cameras on the regular iPhone 16 phones vertically as well to enable spatial video recording.
Technical challenges
If the iPhone 17 Pro models adopt the long horizontal lens design, they could lose the ability to record spatial video in landscape mode, which would mean losing a key feature that was present in previous generations. On the other hand, if the non-Pro models keep the vertical lens arrangement, spatial video could become exclusive to more affordable devices.
On the other hand, if the regular iPhone 17 adopts the long horizontal camera bar design, no model in the series will be capable of recording spatial video. Rumors also suggest that this applies to the iPhone 17 Air, which will replace the Plus version, as it is said to come with only a single camera lens, making it incapable of supporting spatial video. In short, if this new design is implemented, all iPhone 17 models may lose the spatial video feature.
Will Apple actually remove spatial video from some or all of the iPhone 17 models? This is a feature that the company has invested a lot of time and money in researching and developing, in addition to promoting it heavily. Many believe that this scenario is unlikely, and that it is unlikely that Apple will abandon an important feature like spatial video, especially after the great efforts it has made to introduce it to its phones.
Overcoming the technical challenges of spatial videography
Another possibility is that recent advances in computational photography techniques have opened up new ways to create spatial video without the strict constraints of current hardware and camera placement. For example, a technique called Gaussian splatting, invented less than two years ago, can create realistic 3D models using data from multiple camera angles, regardless of whether the camera is horizontal or vertical. This means that Apple may be able to achieve spatial video without relying entirely on the current camera design.
Conclusion
It’s unclear whether Apple will abandon spatial video on some or all of the iPhone 17 models, especially after investing heavily in R&D and marketing for the feature. However, new technological advances may be able to overcome these challenges. Ultimately, there’s no telling what Apple will decide. Check out this video of the iPhone 17 Pro concept with the new camera design:
Source:
5 comment