The camera is one of the most critical elements of smartphones, along with the current race for excessive power. Companies prove it when, every year, they spend more time talking about the goodness of their new cameras and possibilities in the presentations of the devices. Apple is no exception, but what if I told you there are iPhones without cameras?
It’s not that it’s disabled. It simply doesn’t have a camera on the back. And in some scenarios, that makes perfect sense.
Lighting the fuse. It all started this summer, like so many things, with a post on Reddit. A user opened the topic with “A camera-less iPhone issued to my buddy that works at a Nuclear Plant. No cameras allowed.” And accompanying it with this picture:
Possibilities. The post went viral and was apparently filled with comments. Some discussed the apparent loss of functionality: It had no flash, so it could no longer be used as a flashlight. Some claimed they wanted one. Others theorized about possible uses in a submarine and the advantages of not having a cell phone dancing on a table. Others shared experiences from working on nuclear bases and other facilities.
They said that while they couldn’t take pictures and were heavily guarded, they could easily carry their personal smartphones—and with a camera. Either they can’t open the camera app, or they get a sticker at the entrance. Another user commented directly that there’s a code of honor among the employees, so they would report each other if they were caught taking pictures.
Reddit detectives. Considering how many fake images are online to grab attention and a few clicks, it’s easy to be suspicious (even though it’s nothing new). On Reddit, people who work at nuclear power plants were also asking where their friend came from... because they’d never seen anything like it. But then it showed up.
The back of the water bottle in the picture says “Alain,” and if you Google it, you’ll find that it’s a bottled water company in the United Arab Emirates. It may be that in certain countries, it’s actually a requirement to enter certain buildings without a camera.
There’s actually an iPhone without a camera. A couple of companies are in the business of repairing iPhones, and one of their services is to remove the camera. One is Mister Mobile, the other is Noncam. They have in common that they’re both from Singapore.
Noncam claims that customers use these iPhones in sensitive areas such as “oil and gas facilities, military, laboratories, and religious school students in certain countries.” It also takes a swipe at Android: “We understand the pain of having to use a ‘dumb-phone’ or a horrible cheap non-camera Android device which freezes every time you try to do something with it.” And the list of clients this company has been serving since 2011 includes energy and technology agencies in Singapore and others in the United Arab Emirates.
Mister Mobile, on the other hand, is a general repair shop that does everything from replacing screens and batteries to removing the back and front cameras. In fact, they even do the fix on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16, detailing that it’s somewhat reversible and that if you ever want to get your iPhone back to like-new condition, you can always do so.
Prices. Noncam still sells these phones, but they’re stuck in the past, with the most “modern” being the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE 2020. You can pay for the conversion (between $160 and $250) or buy the phone without a camera directly for $1,300 (a whopper). As I say, the one that has adapted to the new generations is Mister Mobile, which offers this camera removal service for less than $50.
It takes between 650 and 90 minutes, and they clarify that FaceID will no longer work. But well, seeing the fuss on Reddit and the people who have asked for a camera-less iPhone even on the Apple website, maybe there’s a niche to be explored here.
Images | Noncam
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