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It's all in the details. OnePlus 7T Circular Camera Housing Design Nov 12, 2019

  1. S4A
    US Brand Ambassador Nov 12, 2019

    S4A , Nov 12, 2019 :
    [​IMG]


    Hey everyone, it's Titus from the US OnePlus Brand Ambassador team! I'm here today to take a deeper look at a specific design feature of the OnePlus 7T. The camera bump.


    It's probably something you haven't given much thought about, but there are some people so passionate about the aesthetics of a phone that they might refuse to buy a phone just because of an ugly camera bump.


    Why the bump?


    Have you ever wondered why we need a camera bump to begin with? Wouldn’t the phone look better if the phone had a flush flat back? That last point might be true, but as time has gone on more and more people buy their phones with camera quality in mind. At the same time, people want a phone that’s thin and light. Those 2 ideas contradict because cameras need extra space to produce the best images with the lenses and larger camera sensors those images require.


    [​IMG]


    OnePlus and other phone makers could just make their phones thicker to compensate for this extra needed space instead of each year pushing the boundaries of what it means for a phone to be thin. I’ve heard some people say they would love a thicker phone so there would be more room for a larger battery, but I’m not one of those people.


    I’m a fan of camera bumps because it allows for the vast majority of the phone to be thin and convenient. I, like many others, like to protect my phone with a protective case and these cases work great for filling in the space left from the protruding camera bump. This brings my phone to a nice flush flat back like I was talking about earlier while giving me peace of mind.


    [​IMG]


    This year OnePlus has taken a different approach to their camera bump than in years past, but first let's take a look at some of the other major players in the market.



    iPhone 11


    This year Apple took a fresh look at their camera bump just like OnePlus, but they ended in a very different place. Apple went with a square design in the top left corner. That's where you can get three lenses with an iPhone Pro or two lenses with a regular iPhone. Some have lovingly mentioned the camera bump resembles a stovetop.


    [​IMG]


    I remember when the iPhone 11 was leaked and pictures of it were spread across the internet. I saw a few tech influencers speak out against this design. Personally I don't find it as offensive as those people did. Let's be honest here - if you are someone who wants a new iPhone the camera bump isn't going to stop you.


    One thing I don't like about this approach is because the bump is on the corner of the phone, it won't lean in a natural way when you lay it on its back. Alternatively, when a bump is on the center of a phone, it stays balanced. It’s a minor issue because the bump doesn’t protrude too much though and most people will use a case.


    There is one nice side effect to this approach though. Since the camera is up in a corner and out of the way, when holding your device normally you're a little bit less likely to touch it with your fingers resulting in fingerprints on your camera lens. This is because the cameras are just a little bit more out of the way which is probably why Apple went with this approach.



    Samsung Galaxy S10


    This must be the year of phone makers revisiting their camera bump because Samsung also took a different approach, but a slight one. In the previous year, Samsung went with an iPhone like column approach. But this year they decided to rotate it 90 degrees and now it's a row design.


    [​IMG]
    Source: Samsung Website


    It’s centered which is ideal and not too high or low on the device which is also ideal. Because of the location, a landscape gaming session offers a nice buffer to help avoid fingerprints on the cameras. The design and overall look here isn’t too special though, but it’s simple and it looks fine.



    OnePlus 7T


    This year OnePlus has reimagined the camera bump. Apple went with a simple square and Oneplus implemented a circle.


    [​IMG]


    Aesthetically, it’s a lovely take on a camera bump. It’s centered and the cameras inside aren’t too close to the top of the phone or too low. I also like that there is a good amount of black space above and below the actual cameras. When using the phone in landscape, this buffer helps you know by touch when you are getting too close to the cameras to help avoid fingerprints. It’s the simplicity and uniqueness I like here. It’s a bunch of circles beautifully and practically placed. It might be my favorite approach to a camera bump OnePlus has done yet.


    At the end of the day, a camera bump most likely won’t make or break your phone purchase. It’s all the individual details that culminate into an excellent phone design and experience. But sometimes I like to take my case off of my phone and admire all the design and craftsmanship went into making my phone a reality. Over the last few years, the camera bump has changed from an eyesore to something worthy of notice and discussion. If a phone company has taken so much time to make sure something as superfluous as a camera bump is perfect, it speaks volumes about how much attention and detail went into the rest of the phone.


    What do you think about camera bumps? Do you love them or hate them? Is there a phone out there that you feel really got this design feature right? Let me know below!
     
    #1
    emewhort, K1575061212924, rameshshreyas and 45 others like this.

  2. rocketsql
    Eclair Nov 13, 2019

    rocketsql , via OnePlus 7T , Nov 13, 2019 :
    Personally, I love the round "ocular" look of the cameras on my OnePlus 7T. Our eyes are round, so it makes sense that the eyes of a camera would in a round too. Cyclops? Perhaps the next OnePlus will come up with 2 horizontal circles with 4 cameras and that will add depth perception? All you would have to do is add a speaker slit on the back, essentially a "mouthpiece" and then maybe a "smell sensor" in the middle. We'd have a wonderful personification of the phone. People would smile just seeing the "face." I'd buy one!
     
    #2
    A1573739669688, shuvam3005, Md Mazharuddin and 10 others like this.

  3. Ak.
    Honeycomb Nov 13, 2019

    Ak. , via OnePlus 6T , Nov 13, 2019 :
     
    #3

  4. Demon_hunter
    Honeycomb Nov 13, 2019

    #4
    G_Arnab_saha_LfsC, KaiDemo, bupapa and 3 others like this.

  5. Tax_Mny
    Gingerbread Nov 13, 2019

    Tax_Mny , Nov 13, 2019 :
    I love the circular look. It makes the 7t distinguishable. Sidenote, I never noticed that the iPhone's camera bump looks like a stovetop until you mentioned it. [e]1f602[/e][e]1f602[/e][e]1f602[/e]
     
    #5
    emewhort, alteredtech, shuvam3005 and 6 others like this.

  6. thoma_hawk
    Honeycomb Nov 13, 2019

    thoma_hawk , Nov 13, 2019 :
    God, did you just open the flood gates for comments from people who absolutely hate the circular bump?

    This works as a differentiator for 7T, and I don't see any other perks with this design. Apple's design has seperate housing for each of the lens and the bump itself is just part of the back glass. Aesthetically I don't like Apple's design, but I'm not going to give credit to OnePlus for this circular design either. It's symmetric and in isolation, it's is a good way to align the camera components. But it sticks out too much with the sea of black and it is something that I'm wary of when putting down my phone somewhere (I hope OnePlus used the same scratch resistant glass they would use for camera lens housing in other models). I have seen people applying protectors on the bump (making it stick out like a sore thumb).

    The large bump would have been a good call if there was something revolutionary in here (it is the same 48MP sensor, along with an ultra wide and 2x telephoto). The Pro varient gets even better stuff but its design doesn't flaunt the camera as much. Nokia had done something with the bump and it was huge in comparison but they definitely wanted to sell the phone for that camera. OnePlus 7T is certainly not going to be sold for its camera alone, so why make it stand out as much? It makes Pro looks sleeker, and I guess OnePlus took this call to differentiate 7T from 7 ( T gets better camera, so let's flaunt it) and 7 Pro (T gets so much good stuff from 7 Pro, so let's make the camera look different to make users believe they are getting very different cameras).

    Also there is very little that anyone can do to make 8 look different from the back, especially with a case on. So it's a win win. I don't hate the bump, I just like the Pros implementation of it.

    Sorry for the big rant, had to put it down somewhere and just got a place for it.
     
    #6
    bart877ie, mrssml301, rameshshreyas and 14 others like this.

  7. Sujknair
    Ice Cream Sandwich Nov 13, 2019

    #7
    TheAyushJain, Some_Random_Username, CJ_will_NeverSettle_6T and 5 others like this.

  8. Agasthaya_7939
    Cupcake Nov 13, 2019

    Agasthaya_7939 , Nov 13, 2019 :
    I'm unable to use mighty text to dial numbers from desktop. It was working fine with 6t but 7t is asking to authenticate everytime so is there any solution???
     
    #8

  9. thoma_hawk
    Honeycomb Nov 13, 2019

    thoma_hawk , Nov 13, 2019 :
    It's probably the camera bump :p
    Jokes aside, I would look at the Android 10 permissions and if that doesn't help, reach out to the developer of the app (OnePlus probably has little to do with this issue). But then again, this thread has little to do with app compatibility issues, so I would try my luck elsewhere (unless you want people like me to help :p )
     
    #9
    MosheG1 and R1549906530338 like this.

  10. MosheG1
    The Lab - OnePlus 8 Pro Reviewer Nov 13, 2019

    MosheG1 , via OnePlus 7 Pro , Nov 13, 2019 :
    to be honest I don't love the 7t camera bump from an aesthetic point of view, but that I just my opinion. however, the camera bump I a big waste if space on the inside and compromised the integrity of the glass back (see all of this in the Jerry rig everything video on YouTube for the 7t) and that I'm NOT ok with!
     
    #10
    TheAyushJain, O1569861316892, CJ_will_NeverSettle_6T and 3 others like this.

  11. JelleZon
    OnePlus Accessory Tester Nov 13, 2019

    #11
    rocketsql and MosheG1 like this.

  12. chenmi
    Eclair Nov 13, 2019

    #12
    rocketsql likes this.

  13. cluater_raj
    Eclair Nov 13, 2019

    #13

  14. Q1557887488633
    Cupcake Nov 13, 2019

    #14

  15. skgoyal2190
    Froyo Nov 13, 2019

    skgoyal2190 , Nov 13, 2019 :
    I am a 7T user and I personally saying it's not that bad.. but I would say horizontal approach of samsung is much cooler ;)

    anyways 7T is a nice phone with some software glitches which I am hoping will resolve soon by OP.
     
    #15
    TheAyushJain and CJ_will_NeverSettle_6T like this.

  16. sandwichk
    Froyo Nov 13, 2019

    #16
    Devghost likes this.

  17. Bouncer71
    OnePlus 7 Pro Sample Shot Photographer Community Expert Nov 13, 2019

    Bouncer71 , Nov 13, 2019 :
    Although I don't like the design myself..

    This...


    must be the best "pro" argument for the camera bump....
    ;) :D
     
    #17
    I1574388965821 likes this.

  18. Isfand_Ejaz
    Eclair Nov 13, 2019

    Isfand_Ejaz , via OnePlus 7T , Nov 13, 2019 :
    Hi. i use my Oneplus 7T in case all day long never remove and don't want to remove it and yes its not that attractive looking back but not that much ugly its good and tell me..how many people in this world always see back of the phone instead of front so......m all ok
     
    #18
    G_Patrick_Harris_wmyg and CJ_will_NeverSettle_6T like this.

  19. suraj1595
    Honeycomb Nov 13, 2019

    #19
    I1574388965821, Deactivated User and CJ_will_NeverSettle_6T like this.

  20. S_Giriprasath
    Honeycomb Nov 13, 2019

    #20
    I1574388965821 likes this.

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