Leaked image shows ‘iPhone 11’ with what appears to be three cameras

This year’s new iPhone will come with… a bigger camera bump?

A newly leaked image of an alleged schematic for a new iPhone shows the camera bump might grow from the iPhone XS and XS Max’s pill-shaped bump into a larger square-shaped protrusion to accommodate a new third camera.

The image was posted to Slashleaks, a repository that aggregates images of leaked products from across the web, and shows what appears to be an iPhone with three camera cutouts arranged in a triangular array.

While we can’t verify the authenticity of the alleged design, it does appear to corroborate previous reports that claimed at least one of this year’s iPhones would have a triple camera system.

Back in January, prolific phone leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka @OnLeaks) shared concept renders of what he claimed this year’s iPhone, tentatively called the “iPhone 11” or “iPhone XI,” would look like with three cameras:

And then earlier this month, Japanese Apple fan blog Mac Otakara also claimed Apple would add an extra camera to this year’s iPhone(s), although the site said the camera arrangements would look more like the cameras on Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro.

The image posted to Slashleaks doesn’t reveal much except that this year’s iPhones will likely keep wireless charging (there’s a clear cutout for it). But a new tweet from Hemmerstoffer certainly adds more credibility.

Apple’s got a steep hill to climb this year. As iPhone sales slow down, this year’s new models need to come with compelling features to convince the masses to upgrade. 

A third rear camera could be one way to differentiate why customers should pay a premium for the iPhone compared to other phones like the excellent OnePlus 6T, which starts at a more affordable $529.

Rumor has it the iPhone 11 might also come with reverse wireless charging similar to the Wireless PowerShare feature in the Galaxy S10, which allows it to wirelessly charge another phone or an accessory like wireless earbuds.

With so many leaks, it’s looking more and more likely at least one of this year’s new iPhones will come with an extra third camera. The big question mark is what the third camera will be. Will it be an ultra-wide camera like on the Galaxy S10? Or will it be a third “depth camera” (also called a “ToF” or Time of Flight camera) to improve augmented reality experiences and portrait mode shots?