Amongst different modifications, this yr’s iPhone 15 Professional fashions are rumored to function a brand new chassis made out of titanium for the primary time. This might make for a lighter design, extra sturdiness, and extra. Actually, it may very well be one of many greatest design modifications to the iPhone in years, marking an finish to the stainless-steel period that began with the iPhone X in 2017.
The rumor
So far, a couple of completely different sources have reported that the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max (or iPhone 15 Extremely) may function a brand new titanium design.
The Twitter leaker ShrimpApplePro, who has a good although not excellent observe file of accuracy, reported in November that the iPhone 15 Professional design would encompass a titanium case with rounded edges. This was additionally corroborated by JP Morgan Chase analyst Jeff Pu, who echoed the Twitter leak in an investor report earlier this month.
Apple has been engaged on an iPhone with a titanium chassis for a number of years. A number of patent filings from the corporate have proven off its work within the space. However to get the clearest glimpse of what a titanium iPhone 15 Professional would possibly convey to the desk, we have to have a look at the Apple Watch.
Titanium iPhone 15 Extremely vs Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has been accessible in a titanium end because the Apple Watch Collection 5 was launched in 2019. The Apple Watch Collection 5 was accessible with a titanium end in two colours – pure and area black. This marked the primary time that Apple had used titanium in a product since method again in 2001 with the PowerBook G4.
The Apple Watch Collection 6 was accessible in the identical pure and area black titanium finishes, as was the Apple Watch Collection 7 in 2021, which brings us to the present era of the Apple Watch. This time round, the titanium end is unique to the all-new Apple Watch Extremely.
There are two issues we will take away from how Apple has used titanium within the Apple Watch lineup: colours and weight.
Maybe most notable is the distinction in weight between stainless-steel and titanium. Over time, Apple has offered Apple Watch fashions in each of these finishes. The iPhone lineup, nonetheless, has used stainless-steel because the iPhone X in 2017.
Right here’s a have a look at the distinction in weight for the Apple Watch Collection 7 in three completely different finishes. The Apple Watch Collection 7 was the final era of the Apple Watch that was accessible in three completely different supplies with 41mm and 45mm sizes.
- 41mm:
- Aluminum: 32.0g
- Stainless-steel: 42.3g
- Titanium: 37.0g
- 45mm:
- Aluminum: 38.8g
- Stainless-steel: 51.5g
- Titanium: 45.1g
Then, there’s the Apple Watch Extremely, the one current-generation Apple Watch with a titanium end. It’s additionally the largest Apple Watch ever offered by Apple, with a 49mm case measurement. Right here’s a breakdown of the Apple Watch Collection 8 and Apple Watch Extremely:
- 41mm:
- Aluminum: 32.2g
- Stainless-steel: 42.3g
- 45mm:
- Aluminum: 39.1g
- Stainless-steel: 51.1g
- Apple Watch Extremely 49mm:
An Apple Watch Extremely fabricated from stainless-steel? That’d be unusable. The Apple Watch Extremely is simply sensible due to the titanium’s weight.
9to5Mac’s Take
It’s no shock that titanium is lighter than stainless-steel, however I discover it notably attention-grabbing what the variations have been within the Apple Watch lineup over time. The Apple Watch provides us our solely have a look at how trendy Apple itself tackles utilizing titanium in a product.
Within the iPhone lineup, Apple has used stainless-steel edges because the introduction of the iPhone X. Latest generations of the iPhone use aluminum within the non-Professional fashions and stainless-steel within the Professional and Professional Max fashions. This, in fact, means the iPhone 14 is lighter than the iPhone 14 Professional.
- iPhone 14: 172g
- iPhone 14 Plus: 203g
- iPhone 14 Professional: 206g
- iPhone 14 Professional Max: 240g
If the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max use titanium, they gained’t be lighter than the aluminum iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. They’d, nonetheless, be noticeably lighter than the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max, which function stainless-steel bands across the facet.
How a lot lighter? That’s up within the air at this level. Again-of-the-envelope math exhibits that the 45mm Apple Watch Collection 7 in titanium was round 12% lighter than its stainless-steel counterpart, which gained’t be instantly relevant to the iPhone lineup, however it’s good context.
Apple also can use the load financial savings offered by titanium to offset the addition of issues like new digicam {hardware} or greater batteries. It opens up a world of prospects.
Personally, the concept of an iPhone 15 Extremely that’s 10% lighter than the iPhone 14 Professional Max sounds nice to me. I’ve been bored with the stainless-steel edges since at the very least the iPhone 13 Professional. The stainless-steel is heavy, to not point out it’s an entire fingerprint magnet as nicely.
An iPhone 15 Extremely with titanium edges could be a dream come true. The iPhone has used stainless-steel edges since 2017, and it’s time for a change. Whereas we’re at it, let’s use the area black titanium that we noticed within the Apple Watch Collection 7, too.
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