iPhone XI to feature updated Face ID, new rear triple-lens camera system, possibly USB-C, and more

Apple’s iPhone XS Max predecessor, dubbed the iPhone XI Max, is again said to feature a new rear triple-lens camera system, allowing the iPhone to capture images with a larger field of view, a wider zoom range, and capture more pixels per-image.

The report comes from Bloomberg, following in line with a variety of reports and renders we’ve seen surface throughout January. The new iPhone would supposedly include a new feature that would use the extra pixel data from the triple-lens camera system to provide tools for automatically repairing a photo or a video to fit in a subject that “may have accidentally been cut off from the initial shot”, alongside a new version of Live Photos that would see the length of the recorded clip extend to six seconds.

Bloomberg’s report, shared with claims Apple is working on an updated version of its $329 6th-generation iPad alongside a new low-cost iPad mini to launch ‘as early as this spring’, and reports that Apple is preparing to launch iOS 13 with Dark Mode, major iPad enhancements such as a new iPad home screen, and upgrades to the CarPlay system, says Apple is currently testing versions of the new iPhone XI that have a USB-C port rather than Lightning – suggesting the company hasn’t yet decided if it wants to drop the Lightning Connector from its 2019 iPhone line.

So far three possible designs for the iPhone XI have been shared by concept creators, such as Latvian based designer Benjamin Geskin, each one of them giving us a different view of how the new rear triple-lens camera system could look. Renders first showed us a rather hideous square camera bump, then new images from Indian website CompareRaja claimed to share “100% legit prototypes.” used by Apple during testing.

iPhone XI Renderings | CompareRaja

The third and so far final render we’ve seen for the iPhone XI’s triple-lens camera set-up was the most simplest of all, showing how Apple could incorporate a small lens into the space currently home to the LED flash on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

Asides from the possible new design of the rear camera, Apple is widely believed to keep the same design as the iPhone XS for the iPhone XI, with the exception of a smaller TrueDepth Camera system/notch.