My front facing camera is angled really weird. I can’t see my face straight on, but rather it is angled from the side. Where exactly is the camera on this Ipad? And can I adjust the camera angle?
iPad Pro, iPadOS 14
As viewed with the iPad in Portrait orientation, with the USB-C port at the bottom - the iPad front camera array is located in the top-centre edge of the iPad screen bezel. When used in Landscape orientation, the camera will be at your right with the USB-C port to the left - or the camera will be to the left with the USB-C port to the right.
Put another way, the front facing camera is on the opposite short-edge to the USB-C port.
If you are using a Magic Keyboard for iPad, requiring the iPad to be oriented in Landscape - the camera will be to the left 🙂
As viewed with the iPad in Portrait orientation, with the USB-C port at the bottom - the iPad front camera array is located in the top-centre edge of the iPad screen bezel. When used in Landscape orientation, the camera will be at your right with the USB-C port to the left - or the camera will be to the left with the USB-C port to the right.
Put another way, the front facing camera is on the opposite short-edge to the USB-C port.
If you are using a Magic Keyboard for iPad, requiring the iPad to be oriented in Landscape - the camera will be to the left 🙂
As described, your iPad is unlikely to be defective. What you are seeing is a fundamental limitation of tablet and camera design - which becomes more pronounced as screens become larger…
By necessity, the iPad camera is off-axis; the bigger the screen and the closer you are to it, the more this physical limitation becomes apparent. This effect is not limited to iPad, but similarly affects all computing platforms that employ a front-facing camera.
Unless you are looking directly at the camera, you gaze will never appear to be looking in its direction. Ultra wide-angle lenses, such as that employed by the 2021 iPad Pro, seem to visually exaggerate this effect - hence the behaviour that you observe.
When comparing with a a desktop or laptop PC, the camera is most often placed at the top as opposed to the side of the screen (as is the case when using your iPad in Landscape orientation). As such, when using a PC, you gaze may appear to be below and away from the camera axis. A correctly positioned laptop will have the top-edge of the screen (and hence the camera) will be approximately at eye-level. Whilst your gaze will still be directed downwards, the off-axis effect will be minimised.
It follows that the only way that this limitation could be fully resolved is to place the camera lens dead-centre - looking through your screen. Clearly, this is not a viable proposition with current screen technology.
In conclusion, there is nothing that you can do - other than to place the screen slightly further away to reduce the unavoidable effect.
Thank you. I wondered about that. Someone at Verizon said they could modify it, but then she (and I) got sidetracked, and it was never done. I’ll take it back there or call Apple Care? I really would HATE to have to exchange the Ipad now that I am just getting it all set up.
Thank you! I wasn't that close though. The ipad was over 2 feet away on a table. But I understand your answer. I have never seen other people look like they are being viewed from a 45 degree angle though. Can you please tell me which side of the screen the camera is on? Is it the left side? Anyway, thank you for this explanation.
Sounds like a defective unit.
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And it is the 12 9" Ipad in landscape mode.
front facing camera on Ipad pro 2021
