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Xiaomi has shown how to make a messy camera module look beautiful

I’ve never been a fan of raised camera modules, whether on iPhones or Android phones – but Xiaomi has found a way to make one beautiful …

The iPhone 4S was in many ways my idea of the pinnacle of iPhone design. Slab sides, and the camera module flush with the back of the phone. I loved that look so much I even technically downgraded to the first iPhone SE to get it back.

I do reluctantly accept that raised camera modules are unavoidable these days. If we made the entire phone as thick as the deepest camera lens it would be just too chunky.

But with the new Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the Chinese brand has found a way to integrate the module into the design in a way I find both fun and beautiful. The entire module mimics the lens of a standalone camera.

I’ve often said that my iPhone is a pocket camera first, mobile computer second, and phone as a rather distant third. Xiaomi’s design leans right into that camera-first idea.

Xiaomi established itself as a popular brand in China by cloning everything Apple – product designs, names, keynotes, ads, you name it. Rather ironically, this is one time when I’d love to see Apple copy Xiaomi’s design.

Just me? Or do you like it too? Let us know in the comments.

Image: Xiaomi via 9to5Google

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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