Are those iPhone 14 design rumours all wrong?

With the launch of the iPhone 14 likely just a few days away, we've got a pretty good idea what to expect. While Apple could still blindside us by contradicting the (many, many) rumours, history tells us that the leakers usually get a decent amount right. And a good deal of the leaks have surrounded the infamous 'notch' this time around.

We've heard tell that Apple is planning to do away with the notch, which has long been considered a blight on the supposedly all-screen design of the smartphone. But a last minute rumour suggests the replacement might not function quite as we thought. (Don't fancy waiting to find out? Check out the best iPhone 13 deals available now.)

For a while now, persistent rumours have insisted that the iPhone 14 Pro will replace the notch with a floating 'pill+hole' cutout. Countless renders have been created to show the concept in action, demonstrating what looks like a sideways exclamation mark – or 'i' (if Apple doesn't incorporate that into the marketing by making it spell out 'iPhone', I'll be furious.) 

But now, seasoned Apple leaker Mark Gurman has claimed that this isn't how the notch will appear in use. Instead, he says the cutout will appear as "one wide pill," because the separation "would look odd during use". 

It isn't hard to imagine this being the way Apple chooses to go. The company is all about symmetry when it comes to design, and the unbalanced pill and hole could be distracting while looking at content. That said, we've already wondered whether the new cutout will actually free up much more screen space – and if the gap gets filled, that's even fewer pixels to play with.

Either way, any change to the controversial notch is bound to make headlines after next week's Apple event. Ever since it first appeared in 2017, the design touch has been the subject of derision (and memes). Still, it's hardly Apple's biggest design crime. If you want the best iPhone experience available right here and now, take a look at today's best iPhone 13 deals below. 

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