The iPhone is pretty much one of the most popular phones in the world. I mean I’ve been using one for the past 7 years, and I don’t think I’m transitioning to any other smartphone company anytime soon. Although let’s accept the fact that the iPhone 13 was a total snoozefest. The build-up to the product was, in all honesty, more exciting than the final product itself. After decades of providing us with innovative, functional, and well-designed tech, Apple’s much-awaited iPhone 13 was a major disappointment. But let’s not lose hope so soon! Expectations for the iPhone 14 are running high, and maybe Apple will finally adopt one of the stunning concepts that have been running around the internet. From an iPhone 14 Slider concept to an iPhone 16 Pro concept – there is an unending supply of groundbreaking iPhone concepts that have been blowing our minds recently. We do hope Apple picks up a few design cues from them and transforms these refreshing ideas into a tangible reality. These conceptual designs have us completely geared up and excited for the real deal!
1. iPhone Air Foldable Concept
Leaks have reported that Apple has been playing around with the possibility of a foldable smartphone, but unfortunately, they don’t feel that it’s up to their standard of quality…yet. As we wait around for the release of Apple’s foldable phone, Antonio De Rosa (@antder) designed one of his own! The sleek and futuristic concept is waterproof and portless. It folds seamlessly, some would say even better than a 90s Nokia flip phone. Powered by Apple M1, the light and lithe smartphone shares a design language similar to that of the MacBook Air.
2. iPhone 14 Slider Concept
The renders and video of the iPhone 14 slider concept shared by ConceptsiPhone show the iPhone 14 in new and beautiful colors and revives the Touch ID biometric system under the display. In addition to the sliding design, the idea of a notch-less iPhone is what fans have been longing for Apple to adopt. That didn’t stand to change in the iPhone 13 – where the notch has been slimed slightly though – but if Apple can do away with it in the coming models, this concept shows how the phone could appear. While the sliding XDR display concept is a deal for some, it’s the triple camera on the back that we would definitely want Apple to take a leaf from. The camera array is extremely sleek, no camera bump to show.
3. iPhone 16 Pro Concept
To be fair, this future iPhone concept is beautiful if you take it in isolation. It is almost all screen, without the notch that has been a stubborn presence on iPhones since the iPhone X in 2017. It still shows Apple’s typical materials, at least before it added wireless charging, like a metal finish on the iPhone’s back. Flat sides are also present, though with a bit more curve rather than the hard chamfered edges of current iPhones. This concept puts three cameras smack in the middle of the iPhone’s rear, something uncharacteristic for Apple, which will undoubtedly draw parallels to the Pixel 6’s “visor” design.
4. iPhone 14 Flip
Let’s get this out of the way: Apple is unlikely to turn the iPhone 14 into a foldable phone. It might not be until 2023 before an “iPhone Fold” finds its way into the market, and even that might be a generous estimate. A clamshell-type iPhone in the vein of the Galaxy Z Flip definitely looks chic and stylish, but there are still too many variables for Apple to make a gamble on foldables. It isn’t one to compromise on experience even for the sake of style, and that is exactly what a phone with a fragile flexible screen is. But hey, who knows maybe we could see an iPhone Flip sometime soon?!
5. Laci Lacko’s iPhone 14 Concept
How the next exciting iPhone will look is anybody’s guess, for now, to be frank, but industrial designer Laci Lacko believes it could be a radical leap with its roots tracing back to the iPhone 7 series. That similar rounded side design lending it a thin feel in hand. Surprisingly, the designer doesn’t give us a peek into the front of the device, but going by the rumor mill, it should have minimal (as compared to iPhone 13) or no notch at all. What’s highlighted in this concept phone is the rear camera module. A big protruding single 35mm lens setup that has an f1.2 i aperture sensor promises the ultimate photography experience. Something comparable to a DSLR.
6. iPhone SE Plus Concept
This iPhone SE 3 concept by Filip Koroy (@everythingapplepro) could be called the iPhone SE Plus and would come with an A15 bionic chip and 5G support. Although it doesn’t have a bigger display, it features a 4.7″ LCD display much like the current version of the iPhone SE. Display analyst Ross Young says we may get to see this smartphone this year! He also suggests that we could get to see a larger version of the iPhone SE in 2024. This version could feature a 5.7″ to 6.1″ LCD display with a hole-punch camera. This could be the era of the iPhone SE! What do you think?
7. Max Burgos’ iPhone 14 Concept
Meet the iPhone 14 concept from the mind of Max Burgos – for the most part, it looks just like a normal iPhone, except for the unique secondary display located on the back, wrapping around the camera module. On the front, the camera results in a notched display, on the back, however, the camera causes the display to take on an L-shaped design! As unusual as this secondary display may be, it actually serves as a way to reinforce Apple’s app ecosystem – here’s how. The secondary display could be prime real estate for interacting with Apple’s OWN apps.
8. Prosser’s iPhone 14 Concept
Prosser teamed up with long-time collaborator RendersByIan to help visualize this phone. It looks remarkably like the iPhone 4, with how flush the cameras sit on the back, the circular buttons against the metal rim on the side, and a silhouette that is just as bit iconic as it was back in 2011. Flip the phone over on its front and you’ll notice perhaps its biggest visual change yet. The screen on the front does away with the infamous notch, finally adopting the hole-punch camera design that’s been around on Android phones for a while now.
9. The iPro
Considering Zarruk’s notion has some basis for an Apple product of the future with little impressions of a Samsung handset of today, we are left to discuss it to the detail as seen in images. The idea presents a flip iPhone with iPhone 13 Pro-esque triple camera module comprising an 8K capable pro-action camera. The flipping device has a curved touchscreen Retina display and the discussed camera module on the outside – split over the two halves separated by a durable hinge. The cute box-like design – when it’s folded – actually hides a pair of newly designed AirPods Pro mini in a cozy housing for each earbud.
10. USB-C iPhone
Meet the world’s only USB-C iPhone (that we know of), hacked together by Ken Pillonel, a master’s degree student in robotics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. At the very heart of Ken’s solution is a redesigned PCB ribbon cable that fits inside the iPhone X, replacing the lightning charging PCB. Ken’s initial experiments from 5 months ago involved using a breadboard to work out the circuitry, before he actually fabricated a pretty professional-looking ribbon PCB that could actually fit inside the iPhone’s housing, sandwiching itself between the other components. The outer chassis of the iPhone had to be CNC machined too, to fit the new, wider port.