Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

What if this was the iPhone 11?

Published Aug 19th, 2019 9:26AM EDT

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Apple will undoubtedly still have a few surprises left in store when it unveils its new iPhone 11 lineup next month, but most of what is discussed on stage that day will be old news. In fact, we already know exactly when Apple will reveal the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro handsets (September 10th), when they’ll go up for preorder (September 13th), and when they’ll be released online and in stores (September 20th). The two flagship models, which are rumored to be called the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max (ugh) will look almost exactly like their predecessors, but they’ll feature a new triple-lens rear camera like the one shown in the render above. Then, the entry-level iPhone 11 model will have a similar square camera array, but with two lenses instead of three. We’re also expecting new frosted class on the back and even a new color option for the iPhone 11 Pro models, plus a big boost in performance, of course.

That’s all well and good, but it’s also pretty boring if we’re being honest. Apple’s 2019 iPhone 11 lineup will sport a notch and an 80-something percent screen-to-body ratio when Android vendors are already toying with new form factors and making all-screen smartphones with ratios above 95%. But what if Apple’s upcoming new iPhone 11 was like the iPhone concept in the video below?

There’s no question that Apple’s iPhone 11 design is stunning. But there’s also no question that it’s a bit boring. It’s the same design Apple used last year and the year before, but with a new camera on the back. That’s three years with the same smartphone design, which is a bit much… especially considering how many new designs we’re seeing on the other side of the fence. In fact, we recently wrote about how exciting Android smartphone designs have become recently. There’s no new iPhone design for all these Android phone makers to steal, so they’ve finally begun to create handsets with their own exciting new designs.

Among the new designs we’re seeing, there are phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. While both companies are having quality control issues that have delayed their release plans, but there’s no question that foldable phones are going to start hitting store shelves soon. There’s also no question that Apple is working on foldable phone designs of its own behind closed doors, though it’ll likely be quite some time before a foldable iPhone becomes a reality.

What if it wasn’t going to take a few more years for Apple to develop an iPhone with a folding OLED display? What if the iPhone 11 ended up being a foldable phone? It’s obviously not going to happen, but YouTube channel Ts Designer decided to imagine an iPhone 11 with a folding form factor like the Galaxy Fold and Mate X. Check out the result in the video below.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.