It seems fake, but this iPhone does not have cameras. And it is essential if you want to carry your cell phone at certain jobs.

The camera is one of the most important elements of smartphones, along with the current race for excessive power. I’m not saying it: it is demonstrated by the companies themselves when, every year, they spend more and more time talking about the benefits of their new cameras and possibilities in the presentations of the devices. Apple is no exception, but… what if I told you that there are iPhones without a camera?

Not that it is disabled, but that they do not have a camera on the back. And it makes perfect sense in some scenarios.

Lighting the fuse. It all started this summer with, like so many things, a post on Reddit. A user opened the topic with a curious “an iPhone without a camera that my friend who works at a nuclear plant where cameras are not allowed has.” And he accompanied it with this image:

Odds. The post was very viral and, evidently, was filled with comments. Some analyzed the obvious loss of functionality: it did not have a flash, so it could no longer be used as a flashlight. There were also those who claimed they wanted one. Others theorized about possible uses in a submarine, about the advantages of not having a mobile phone that dances on a table… and others recounted experiences working in nuclear bases and other facilities.

The latter commented that, although they cannot take photos and are closely guarded, they could carry their personal phone on their backs without a problem. And with a camera. They simply either cannot open the camera application or a sticker is placed on them at the entrance. Other user commenteddirectly, that there is a kind of code of honor between employees, so they would report each other if they are caught taking photos.

Reddit Detectives. Considering the number of fake images that are generated to attract attention and get a few clicks, it is easy to have suspicion on the surface (although It was nothing new). On Reddit, people who work at nuclear plants also asked where their friend was from… because they had never seen anything like this. But then it appeared:

On the back of the water bottle in the photograph we can read “alain” and, if we search on Google, it is a company of bottled water from the United Arab Emirates and it may be a requirement in certain countries to enter certain buildings without any camera on them.

Indeed, there is an iPhone without a camera. There are a couple of companies that are dedicated to fixing iPhones and their services include removing the cameras. One is Mister Mobile, the other is Noncam (which we already told you about at the time), and they have in common that they are both from Singapore.

Noncam affirms that these iPhones are used by their customers in sensitive areas such as “oil, gas, military, laboratories, and religious school students in certain countries.” Plus, he takes a swipe at Android with “we understand the pain of having to use a dumb phone or a horrible, cheap, cameraless Android device every time you try to do something with it.” And on the list of clients they have served since 2011 are energy and technology agencies from Singapore, but also others from the United Arab Emirates.

On the other hand, Mister Mobile is a general repair page, carrying out everything from screen and battery changes to the removal of the rear and front cameras. In fact, they already do the trick even on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16, detailing that it is something reversible and that, if at any time you want to have your iPhone like new again, you can always do it.

Wow prices. Noncam continues to sell these phones, but it remained stuck in the past, with the most “modern” being the iPhone 8 and the iPhone SE 2020. You can pay for the conversion (between $160 and $250) or buy the phone without a camera directly for 1,300 dollars (a nonsense). The one that has adapted to the new generations, as we say, is Mister Mobile, offering this camera removal service for less than $50.

It takes them between 650 and 90 minutes and they clarify that FaceID stops working. But hey, seeing the commotion that was created on Reddit and that there are those who have asked about an iPhone without a camera even on the Apple websiteperhaps there is a niche to explore here.

Image | Noncam

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