Here come the memes: Will iPhone 17 become the target of ridicule (again)?
Apple’s product launch is just around the corner, and so might be the jokes about its iPhone 17 camera design.
Image by Cybernews
Apple’s product launch is just around the corner, and so might be the jokes about its iPhone 17 camera design.
- Every new iPhone release leads to jokes online, and the camera bump is the most noticeable feature people like to mock.
- Minimal changes to the front design make the rear camera placement the main way users can tell new models apart.
- Leaks show a horizontal camera bar, possibly accommodating larger sensors and marking a new visual design era, similar to Apple’s notch change in past years.
For several years, the release of a new iPhone has also led to a surge of memes related to its design changes, or the lack thereof. This may explain why users are inclined to mock the iPhone’s camera placement, which is often the only significant thing that users can see.
With Apple about to unveil its latest smartphone, the iPhone 17, will it provide netizens with more material for iPhone camera-related jokes?
Why can’t we stop joking about the new iPhone?
It’s safe to say that the iPhone has come a long way design-wise since its introduction in 2007. However, the need to release a new phone every year may have made it trickier for the company to keep introducing something revolutionary. Camera placement adjustments might be an easy solution that offers a definitive aesthetic change – even if users don’t always see it that way.
According to Gor Gasparyan, Co-Founder and CEO of Passionate Design Agency, the memes around new iPhones have become a shortcut culture, practically a tradition to mock a new design.
“The meme cycle is perpetuated by the fact that the changes are so visibly noticeable, and they make users feel like they are making a contribution to the design discourse, even through jokes,” explained the expert.
Another reason the camera placement is one of the main details scrutinized by fellow Apple connoisseurs is that it’s “an instantly recognizable feature of the phone,” says Rohan Gaikwad, a staff product designer from Service Now, an American software company.
A number of other improvements may be internal and thus can’t be judged by our eyes.
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How does iPhone camera placement affect its performance?
One popular online opinion about the changes in the iPhone’s camera placement is that they deter people from thinking that the smartphone lacks other significant design changes. Is there any truth to this?
“I wouldn’t say Apple moves the camera just for the sake of distraction. But, when the front of an iPhone has looked nearly identical for years, the camera bump on the back becomes the one obvious way people can tell models apart. So in that sense, yes, it gives somewhat of an impression of a design refresh,” explains Steven Athwal, the CEO of The Big Phone Store.
When it comes to its camera changes, one of the reasons why Apple chooses to go with rather minimalistic adjustments is that it tries to maintain its identity and branding.
Another reason is related to engineering solutions.
“Bigger sensors, more lenses, and new stabilization systems all take up space. Apple has to shift things around to make them fit, especially as they try to balance size, battery, durability, thinness, comfort. There's a lot to manage,” shares Athwal.
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The choice between sleekness and quality
One of Apple’s soon-to-be-released devices is the iPhone 17 Air. The new smartphone model is expected to be “ultra-thin,” with rumors stating it will be just 5-6 mm thick.
The new trend of smartphones becoming thinner and larger also dictates the design and placement of their cameras. To provide users with higher-quality photography, cameras need to be equipped with bigger sensors and lenses, which can hinder making the phone thinner and larger.
“That’s pretty much why the bump stands out so much. It’s the only way to house advanced sensors in slim devices,” explains Athwal.
Will the iPhone 17 become a new meme target?
It remains unclear whether the company will provide users online with enough material to create new jokes about the phone’s camera placement after the company's new product launch event.
When leaks about the new iPhone 17 camera placement first emerged, some users didn’t hold back. Many have already called the camera “the pyramids of Egypt,” referring to its bump.
Recent images of the iPhone 17 camera design have revealed it to be similar to Google Pixel smartphone cameras. Why such a drastic change?
According to Gaikwad: “A horizontal bar could mean Apple is planning even larger sensors or re-architecting the internals. It’s also a bold visual reset, like the notch was, to mark a new design era.”
Whether users will finally be satisfied with the new iPhone 17, its camera, and other hardware and software-related novelties will be revealed after Apple’s annual product launch event scheduled for Tuesday, September 9th, 2025.