5 ms·

All camera bulges are a poor design. Just make the battery thicker. Either way people are throwing a case on to make the back straight again.

vundercind 2y ago
I think the bulges are because everyone’s using a case anyway, so they may as well bump out. Unless someone’s doing the “I care so little about protecting several hundred dollars that I use an expensive phone without a case” thing.
- vel0city 2y ago
  I never use cases and I haven't had a phone break from physical damage in over a decade. Phones these days are pretty dang durable. I really don't want a giant brick in my pocket.
- layer8 2y ago
  I never used a case and know a number of other people who don’t.
- kingofthehill98 2y ago
  I never used a case in my life, owned like 6 phones since my first Galaxy back in 2012. Much rather deal with a few scratches than touching some cheap case instead of the premium metal/glass. My reason is that I never sell phones anyway, after 2 years I get a new one and give the old one to a cousin or something like that.
  - Kiro 2y ago
    It's not about selling them. It's about protecting it when you drop it etc.
  - fullstop 2y ago
    Have you held a Pixel 7 Pro? They are _way_ too smooth without a case. It's like trying to hold a wet bar of soap.
  - gtirloni 2y ago
    I have dry hands and can't hold my Galaxy S23+ with glass back at all. It slips out of my hand all the time. No way I can use without a case. It'd break on the first day.
  - aembleton 2y ago
    I have a leather case for my Pixel 7 [1]. Much better feel in the hand. 1. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1303285181/leather-google-pixel-7-pixel-6a-case https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1303285181/leather-google-pi...
  - deelowe 2y ago
    I used to say the same thing, then one day I tripped and shattered my phone. It was nothing I did that caused it. Just a small bit of uneven pavement was enough to ruin the whole device.
- munificent 2y ago
  I just pay the extra $30 or whatever for accident protection. That's about the same price as a case and accomplishes the same goal. I think of it as a zero-ounce case.
  - lxgr 2y ago
    Where do you get $30 accident protection for the lifetime of a phone? I've looked into Apple Care for this in the past, and it was about 10 times that for two years, with a deductible for broken screens.
    - munificent 2y ago
      I honestly don't remember how much it was when I got my last phone, but I don't remember thinking it was particularly expensive. I'm an Android user.
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  I've never used a case and never will. It's not that hard to not drop your phone, and unless you get a heavy duty case (like an OtterBox) they aren't adding much protection anyways. It's not worth the added expense, ugly look, and crappy plastic texture.
- wilsonnb3 2y ago
  iPhone bumps have been so egregiously large that they don't lay flat even with a case for a few years now. You've got to specifically look for one that has raised corners or something to compensate.
- partdavid 2y ago
  My wallet case is indispensable (to me). In other words, I'd rather use the "space" of the camera's bump-out for my own purposes (ID and credit card) than a worse camera or even more-er battery life (for some time now "more than a day" is indistinguishable to me from "more than a day and a half") or some other gadget. Probably. Um, maybe put some more gadgets on the phone and I'll get back to you on that one...
layer8 2y ago
> Just make the battery thicker These devices are already rather heavy. I wish there were more options for people who don’t care that much about the camera in their smartphone. I remember the non-bump camera in the 7.6 mm thin 2016 iPhone SE was perfectly fine for many situations, I took some impressive vacation photos with it.
- Veuxdo 2y ago
  > I wish there were more options for people who don’t care that much about the camera in their smartphone. Just get a cheap phone? If you're paying $500+ for a phone, I'd estimate most of that money is going into the camera. Judging by the marketing, anyway.
- izacus 2y ago
  There's a whole market of 250-400$ Android phones that are targeting exactly that. Every brand makes phones in the cheap with average camera segment.
  - roshin 2y ago
    Unfortunately those come with extremely weak hw. I got one of those phones (there are no high end, small, 3.5, rootable phones). I struggle to use background apps.
ajross 2y ago
> Either way people are throwing a case on to make the back straight again. Alternatively it's just exploiting "everyone uses a case" to get a mm or two of space for the camera lens that can very productively use it. Thickening the whole device only makes sense for people who don't use a case, which is basically no one (well, me, but most people love their cases).
Freak_NL 2y ago
I love the camera bump on the Pixel 6. I made a leather belt pouch¹ for it for use on trips and hiking, and the camera bump sits neatly on the edge of the front of the pouch (the back part curves around as a flap over the top). It gives my fingers exactly the right grip to grab it and get a solid grip on the whole device as I lift it out of its pouch. Never used a case for any phone I've owned. 1: Using the wet moulding technique.
freedomben 2y ago
Indeed, at this point my workflow is pretty mature. The camera bump ends up unnoticeable to me because I'll throw it into a Spigen case anyway. Seems like a lot of people are doing that.
asadotzler 2y ago
No one wants that weight. A thicker battery puts the phone out of comfort for everyone. A thicker camera bump puts the phone out of comfort for only a few.

vundercind 2y ago

I think the bulges are because everyone’s using a case anyway, so they may as well bump out. Unless someone’s doing the “I care so little about protecting several hundred dollars that I use an expensive phone without a case” thing.

vel0city 2y ago
I never use cases and I haven't had a phone break from physical damage in over a decade. Phones these days are pretty dang durable. I really don't want a giant brick in my pocket.
layer8 2y ago
I never used a case and know a number of other people who don’t.
kingofthehill98 2y ago
I never used a case in my life, owned like 6 phones since my first Galaxy back in 2012. Much rather deal with a few scratches than touching some cheap case instead of the premium metal/glass. My reason is that I never sell phones anyway, after 2 years I get a new one and give the old one to a cousin or something like that.
- Kiro 2y ago
  It's not about selling them. It's about protecting it when you drop it etc.
- fullstop 2y ago
  Have you held a Pixel 7 Pro? They are _way_ too smooth without a case. It's like trying to hold a wet bar of soap.
- gtirloni 2y ago
  I have dry hands and can't hold my Galaxy S23+ with glass back at all. It slips out of my hand all the time. No way I can use without a case. It'd break on the first day.
- aembleton 2y ago
  I have a leather case for my Pixel 7 [1]. Much better feel in the hand. 1. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1303285181/leather-google-pixel-7-pixel-6a-case https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1303285181/leather-google-pi...
- deelowe 2y ago
  I used to say the same thing, then one day I tripped and shattered my phone. It was nothing I did that caused it. Just a small bit of uneven pavement was enough to ruin the whole device.
munificent 2y ago
I just pay the extra $30 or whatever for accident protection. That's about the same price as a case and accomplishes the same goal. I think of it as a zero-ounce case.
- lxgr 2y ago
  Where do you get $30 accident protection for the lifetime of a phone? I've looked into Apple Care for this in the past, and it was about 10 times that for two years, with a deductible for broken screens.
  - munificent 2y ago
    I honestly don't remember how much it was when I got my last phone, but I don't remember thinking it was particularly expensive. I'm an Android user.
bigstrat2003 2y ago
I've never used a case and never will. It's not that hard to not drop your phone, and unless you get a heavy duty case (like an OtterBox) they aren't adding much protection anyways. It's not worth the added expense, ugly look, and crappy plastic texture.
wilsonnb3 2y ago
iPhone bumps have been so egregiously large that they don't lay flat even with a case for a few years now. You've got to specifically look for one that has raised corners or something to compensate.
partdavid 2y ago
My wallet case is indispensable (to me). In other words, I'd rather use the "space" of the camera's bump-out for my own purposes (ID and credit card) than a worse camera or even more-er battery life (for some time now "more than a day" is indistinguishable to me from "more than a day and a half") or some other gadget. Probably. Um, maybe put some more gadgets on the phone and I'll get back to you on that one...

layer8 2y ago

> Just make the battery thicker These devices are already rather heavy. I wish there were more options for people who don’t care that much about the camera in their smartphone. I remember the non-bump camera in the 7.6 mm thin 2016 iPhone SE was perfectly fine for many situations, I took some impressive vacation photos with it.

Veuxdo 2y ago
> I wish there were more options for people who don’t care that much about the camera in their smartphone. Just get a cheap phone? If you're paying $500+ for a phone, I'd estimate most of that money is going into the camera. Judging by the marketing, anyway.
izacus 2y ago
There's a whole market of 250-400$ Android phones that are targeting exactly that. Every brand makes phones in the cheap with average camera segment.
- roshin 2y ago
  Unfortunately those come with extremely weak hw. I got one of those phones (there are no high end, small, 3.5, rootable phones). I struggle to use background apps.

ajross 2y ago

> Either way people are throwing a case on to make the back straight again. Alternatively it's just exploiting "everyone uses a case" to get a mm or two of space for the camera lens that can very productively use it. Thickening the whole device only makes sense for people who don't use a case, which is basically no one (well, me, but most people love their cases).

Freak_NL 2y ago

I love the camera bump on the Pixel 6. I made a leather belt pouch¹ for it for use on trips and hiking, and the camera bump sits neatly on the edge of the front of the pouch (the back part curves around as a flap over the top). It gives my fingers exactly the right grip to grab it and get a solid grip on the whole device as I lift it out of its pouch. Never used a case for any phone I've owned. 1: Using the wet moulding technique.

freedomben 2y ago

Indeed, at this point my workflow is pretty mature. The camera bump ends up unnoticeable to me because I'll throw it into a Spigen case anyway. Seems like a lot of people are doing that.

asadotzler 2y ago

No one wants that weight. A thicker battery puts the phone out of comfort for everyone. A thicker camera bump puts the phone out of comfort for only a few.