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iPhone 17 Pro Max Are you disappointed with Aluminum

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maverick786us

maverick786us

macrumors 6502
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May 30, 2012
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Columbus, GA
How many of you are disappointed about Apple's decision of using Aluminum instead of Titanium and Stainless steel? I like iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I am planning to buy it soon. But aluminum? The most premium phone in 17 line up.
I was impressed with the premium look and feel of iPhone Air. its premium titanium frame its glossy finish. it looks like a premium smartphone. But it is about aesthetics, fashion over performance. But it's sad that Pro Max their top end device was somehow compromised it doesn't even look premium to me. It looks like iPhone 6 and 6s series.
 
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Honestly? Yes.

It’s the first “top end” iPhone to use aluminium since iPhone 7/8, and they were priced at today’s entry level prices.

The iPhone X using stainless steel was one of the reasons it justified a premium price point. They have now reverted to using the “cheaper” material, while keeping the same premium price.

I understand abandoning titanium (they did it with the PowerBooks/laptops) but not going back to the premium stainless steel for the premium models smacks of them cutting costs IMO.

I think Apple are trying to change things this year - Pro models are not about nice design, but pure power and battery life.

The Air is the new “sexy” phone, with most but not all power features. Enough of the good stuff for prosumers, but not enough for “actual” pros. I’m glad it’s keeping the premium material, and polishing it for good measure.

Hope they continue to offer a model that has that level of polish going forward, as the Pros become less sexy and more utilitarian.
 
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uacd said:
Accroding to them, titanium has less heat conductivity and vapor chamber works in conjunction with alluminum chassis.

We will know for sure only when phones come out and tested. I suspect there's some truth in it
Click to expand...
Air has same internal specs as pro max, except 1 gpu core shorter and RAM. It is much slimmer, it is not prone to heat issue.

The most premium device in iPhone looking dull, ugly and cheap. I wouldn't mind if they would have increased the weight by using stainless steal, but added a premium look and feel.
 
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maverick786us said:
Air has same internal specs as pro max, except 1 gpu core shorter and RAM. It is much slimmer, it is not prone to heat issue.

The most premium device in iPhone looking dull, ugly and cheap. I wouldn't mind if they would have increased the weight by using stainless steal, but added a premium look and feel.
Click to expand...
They’ve done what they did to MacBook - the MacBook Pros were much thinner before the last big redesign.

They then fattened up the MBPs to make them ridiculously more powerful and re-add ports for power users, but the MacBook Air is now good enough for most non-power users.

Same thing is happening here. The iPhone Air will (if not fully this year, going forward) have nearly everything you’d want if you’re not a power user, in a svelte frame. The iPhone Pro is maximum power but in a chunkier, more utilitarian body.
 
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I'm definitely disappointed by the materials downgrade and for that matter the non-Pro color options. I would have liked Titanium, and wouldn't have minded a return to steel. My caseless 13 Pro Max has had far more "accidents" than the aluminum phones I had before it, and it looks near-perfect. There's minor chipping in a corner of the back glass from a cat-induced tumble down some concrete stairs. But the frame and screen are pristine. My aluminum iPhones (6 & 8+) which were never abused that way and which lived in a case had minor dents and bends, scuffs in the metal, and screen separation from the frame. I have zero faith in the aluminum compared to the ruggedness of the steel or Titanium bodies.
 
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Tdude96 said:
I'm definitely disappointed by the materials downgrade and for that matter the non-Pro color options. I would have liked Titanium, and wouldn't have minded a return to steel. My caseless 13 Pro Max has had far more "accidents" than the aluminum phones I had before it, and it looks near-perfect. There's minor chipping in a corner of the back glass from a cat-induced tumble down some concrete stairs. But the frame and screen are pristine. My aluminum iPhones (6 & 8+) which were never abused that way and which lived in a case had minor dents and bends, scuffs in the metal, and screen separation from the frame. I have zero faith in the aluminum compared to the ruggedness of the steel or Titanium bodies.
Click to expand...
I agree. But I suppose it doesn’t apply to the majority of people who still use cases on iPhones.

For those who go case-less though, it’s a loss.
 
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Aluminum is lighter in weight, but take in mind. If you are one of those people that carries the phone without a case and you drop it on the concrete, it will probably suffer significant damage. But I agree that they probably should have stayed with titanium, but since this is a solid uni-body it's probably going to be quite durable especially from flex damage
 
Aluminum is lighter in weight, but take in mind. If you are one of those people that carries the phone without a case and you drop it on the concrete, it will probably suffer significant damage. But I agree that they probably should have stayed with titanium, but since this is a solid uni-body it's probably going to be quite durable especially from flex damage
 
maverick786us said:
How many of you are disappointed about Apple's decision of using Aluminum instead of Titanium and Stainless steel? I like iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I am planning to buy it soon. But aluminum? The most premium phone in 17 line up.
I was impressed with the premium look and feel of iPhone Air. its premium titanium frame its glossy finish. it looks like a premium smartphone. But it is for ladies mostly who care about aesthetics, fashion over performance. But it's sad that Pro Max their top end device was somehow compromised it doesn't even look premium to me. It looks like iPhone 6 and 6s series.
Click to expand...
I don't care.
 
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No. Titanium was always "material of the month" rather than something long term. Returning to aluminum was always inevitable.

It's common sense if you just took a minute to understand the material. Even if you had zero understanding of Ti, you'd ask, why did Apple abandon it back in the 2000s?
 
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JPack said:
It's common sense if you just took a minute to understand the material. Even if you had zero understanding of Ti, you'd ask, why did Apple abandon it back in the 2000s?
Click to expand...
What about the multiple generations of AW in Ti (including the new S11), or the new iPhone Air, also in Ti? You are very uninformed, yet you speak so authoritatively. Very strange.
 
I was initially disappointed. The explanation does make sense, when they began using Titanium, there have been heat issues. On these sizes, Stainless steel would end up being too heavy. Being a unibody design, it does add strength. So disappointed? Yes, understanding why they did it, also yes.
 
NotApplicable said:
What about the multiple generations of AW in Ti (including the new S11), or the new iPhone Air, also in Ti? You are very uninformed, yet you speak so authoritatively. Very strange.
Click to expand...

Unlike iPhone Pro, Watch does not have a TDP that exceeds 10W. The iPhone chips are getting hotter each year.

iPhone Air will obviously throttle quickly and it's a known compromise.
 
JPack said:
No. Titanium was always "material of the month" rather than something long term. Returning to aluminum was always inevitable.

It's common sense if you just took a minute to understand the material. Even if you had zero understanding of Ti, you'd ask, why did Apple abandon it back in the 2000s?
Click to expand...
What about stainless steel which preceded titanium for many years on iPhone?

Fair enough roll back from titanium but why not to that more premium material, on the most premium handset?
 
I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand, I feel the material that delivers the best phone is the superior material. On the other, I feel like a Titanium phone is the endgame - where a drop is like dropping a pencil and you don't have to worry about anything. The 15 and 16 series are a tease of the inevitable practically indestructible iPhone. And I'm taking just a few hours before going on and slapping on a Navy Andar onto my Silver iPhone 17 Pro Max.
 
maverick786us said:
Air has same internal specs as pro max, except 1 gpu core shorter and RAM. It is much slimmer, it is not prone to heat issue.

The most premium device in iPhone looking dull, ugly and cheap. I wouldn't mind if they would have increased the weight by using stainless steal, but added a premium look and feel.
Click to expand...
How exactly do you know the air is not prone to heat issues? Have you tried it? Have you seen any comparisons? We have no idea how the air will perform, we have no idea if they under clocked it or if it will only be good for short bursts but will throttle quickly compared to the pro.
 
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Joseph C said:
What about stainless steel which preceded titanium for many years on iPhone?

Fair enough roll back from titanium but why not to that more premium material, on the most premium handset?
Click to expand...

Back then, the chips were not hot. The A4 for example, was about 1W. Today, the power consumption of A18 is an order of magnitude larger.

Apple started using foil sheets, then upgraded to graphene sheets to spread the heat, and now to vapor chamber.

Titanium has very poor thermal conductivity, it's like insulation. Aluminum was always the best choice. Most heatsinks are aluminum. Apple has decades of experience and a huge investment in carving aluminum unibodies. iPhone 15 Pro was an anomaly.
 
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