Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 17 Pro Max Are you disappointed with Aluminum

Status
The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
Joseph C said:
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.
Click to expand...
How much cheaper is 7000 series than the grade of stainless Apple used to use? There didn't used to be much difference per kilo, although I know less of it is used and machining stainless comes at a higher cost. It would have been nice to see £50 taken off the cost, but that unfortunately didn't happen. The Apple Watches got a £30 reduction compared to last year though which surprised me.
 
It bothered me a little because I like saying my phone has titanium. However, practically speaking it really means nothing to me. I have been throwing my iPhones in a case since the iPhone 4. After having the 3G and that thing getting scratched like there’s no tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
I do really like my titanium 15 Pro, but the material really doesn't bother me if it feels nice to hold and does what I need it to, that's all that matters to me.
 
JPack said:
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.
Click to expand...
Probably but the titanium in use was the perimeter band around the iPhone, the rest is glass & aluminum. So that outer band isn't really going hold in much heat.
 
Titanium is denser than aluminum but has a significantly better strength to thickness ratio, whereas aluminum is relatively stronger per weight. The pro models are not thin because of the extra powerful camera lenses. Thus, it makes more sense to use aluminum for them. For the air, which is trying to be thin, it makes more sense to use titanium.
 
It doesn't matter to me at all. As long as it's durable enough for what it is I will be happy. I've never had an issue with any iPhone I've had regarding the materials it was made of.

These things are tools to me and they're made to be used. I do not treat them like a museum piece, but I also do not abuse them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat
klasma said:
The iPad Pro is aluminum and both thinner and more lightweight per area than the iPhone Air.
Click to expand...

The iPad Pro isn’t sturdy att all though, especially to blunt force.

The best titanium alloys are better than the best aluminium ones for strength when it comes to weight and volume.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tdude96
Only because the pitch of being lighter and the phone is heavier makes no sense. My 16PM is "heavy" and the thought of it gaining weight is unsettling. I don't understand the "I want a bigger battery" people. My phone is rarely less than 50%. I have a charger everywhere I go for a period of time. If I know I'll be off grid for a while, I charge up as much as possible and use my phone in moderation.
 
maverick786us said:
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.
Click to expand...
I’m not interested in a premium feel, aesthetics or fashion.
I am interested in performance and durability.

I’m happy they reduced the glass back. I’m hoping the new design will improve durability.
 
S.B.G said:
It doesn't matter to me at all. As long as it's durable enough for what it is I will be happy. I've never had an issue with any iPhone I've had regarding the materials it was made of.

These things are tools to me and they're made to be used. I do not treat them like a museum piece, but I also do not abuse them.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY ^^^

I don't abuse my devices and therefore never worry about the material made.

Plus, iPhone is changed out every other year or in this case, 1 year later.

I am not OCD about nicks, scratches, dents, etc. - it's a tool and depreciating asset at that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: S.B.G
klasma said:
It’s not less sturdy than the aluminum iPhones I owned, I dropped them all a couple of times.
Click to expand...

Yes but compared to the titanium phones it’s a big difference, my iPad Pros have gotten bigger nicks from just being ”bonked” into things than my titanium iPhones got from things like tumbling down stone stairs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tdude96
The unibody design is pretty premium, regardless of what metal it is made out of. The titanium frame was the smallest amount of titanium and did not provide any real strength. These look much more rugged and sturdy. We just need to wait for some drop tests to see if it pays off. The soft touch of the unibody apparently feels great according to first impressions.

That said, they are fugly phones. An awful job of trying to pull off a two-tone color. No black option. A big shelf for the components, but then we still have camera lenses that aren't flush?

But no complaints about the choice of metal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: servenvolley
fatTribble said:
I’m not interested in a premium feel, aesthetics or fashion.
I am interested in performance and durability.

I’m happy they reduced the glass back. I’m hoping the new design will improve durability.
Click to expand...
A cheap looking brick can yield high performance. Yes performance always comes first followed by durability. But if I am investing $1200 its import that it should look and feel premium.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tdude96
i actually like the aluminum unibody design. i also prefer materials to be less shiny. prior iphone pro's had that shiny finish around the frame to distinguish itself from the base iphones. ie iphone 16e... at the store i gravitated to the iphone 16e because of its matte finish. sure the ip16pro felt and looked more "premium" but i just dont like shiny metal look. so the unibody aluminum design is a win for me and it looks more rigid and sturdy too due to the unibody design. not to mention that it's suppose to have better thermal dissipation. so a win win win..... i don't know why it took apple this long to bring out this new design. i figured that it is in response to "Competition." now, everyone will be using an aluminum unibody design because it's the simplest design and maybe boring. so, the "plateau" is there to break up the monotony of the unibody design that also serves to house internals and camera systems adding to its simple brilliance of creating more space for battery. so a flagship phone can now have as much battery as budget phones because more space inside, ie motorola g whatever has huge batteries for an underpowered device giving it great battery life....

ps-- i also like the rounded side edges. it seems more comfortable to hold instead of the older design where the sides are flat and the frond and back are flat
 
Last edited:
HouseLannister said:
The unibody design is pretty premium, regardless of what metal it is made out of. The titanium frame was the smallest amount of titanium and did not provide any real strength. These look much more rugged and sturdy. We just need to wait for some drop tests to see if it pays off. The soft touch of the unibody apparently feels great according to first impressions.

That said, they are fugly phones. An awful job of trying to pull off a two-tone color. No black option. A big shelf for the components, but then we still have camera lenses that aren't flush?

But no complaints about the choice of metal.
Click to expand...

the plateau would need to be thicker for the lenses to stay flush. so why not just "show off" a little lens protrusion? it's probably a design thing apple engineers and designers decided to go this route. the other option is the visor look that pixel phones have....
 
  • Like
Reactions: maverick786us
I get WHY they went with aluminum, but it's a very cheap and uninspired material for such a premium device. And its softness concerns me personally, when it comes to denting easily, as somebody who doesn't use cases.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maverick786us and Tdude96
maverick786us said:
A cheap looking brick can yield high performance. Yes performance always comes first followed by durability. But if I am investing $1200 its import that it should look and feel premium.
Click to expand...
I must have misunderstood when you said:

“But it is about aesthetics, fashion over performance.”
 
namethisfile said:
the plateau would need to be thicker for the lenses to stay flush. so why not just "show off" a little lens protrusion? it's probably a design thing apple engineers and designers decided to go this route. the other option is the visor look that pixel phones have....
Click to expand...
Because it's a bump on a bump. It's like a hairy mole. The bump would be obvious enough without the hair. Just shave it down. (Sorry for the gross visual.)

A Pixel visor looks miles better than this. And it sits better on a desk. This will still have a bit of wobble on a desk and risk you scratching those lenses. So it will still require a case despite all their toughness claims.
 
Tariff+ business uncertainty + maintaining profits = Aluminium body,
We need to look for commercial part behind this changes, instead of being a material scientist
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back