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

iPhone 15 Could Feature Titanium Chassis With Curved Rear Edges

FastLaneJB said:
Just doesn't work as well for signal strength. The first iPhone had a plastic back at the bottom to solve this however it only had 2G, Bluetooth and WiFi, didn't even have GPS. Now you've 2G up to 5G for 2 networks, mmWave 5G, WiFi with MIMO, Bluetooth, GPS and Ultra Wide Band off the top of my head. Maybe forgetting something. :)

Point is it won't work as well or at all. Notice they have to cut out of the metal frame on the iPhone in the US to put in the mmWave so that works.
Click to expand...
It somehow works on the Apple Watch Ultra ;)
 
ixrated said:
So like the 5C then?

iphone-5c-1200x900.jpg
Click to expand...
Yes, but unapologetically titanium.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 5105973 and drzen
Sounds like the perfect reason to raise prices on the iPhone 15! Add $10 of titanium and charge an extra $100-$200 because, well, it's Titanium! Stockholders approve.
 
satchmo said:
It’s strange how a design that was criticized just a few years ago, is now revered. 🙂
Click to expand...
I always liked it because whilst I had a 1st gen iPod Touch, my first iPhone was a white 3GS and I always enjoyed the soft ergonomics.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sdwaltz
JulianL said:
This would be one of the steps towards my dream iPhone.…

1 - Titanium chassis to save some weight not necessarily to make the phone lighter but so that the weight saving can be used to add weight elsewhere.

2 - Periscope zoom to get higher zoom and also to reduce thickness of the camera bump.

3 - 2 above might not remove bump completely so make main body a bit thicker by 1 - 2mm. The curved rear edges also rumoured in this article might make that almost unnoticeable and between this and the periscope lens that would hopefully be enough to get a flat back with no more camera bump.

4 - Use the extra thickness of the main chassis and also the weight saving from 1 above to give a huge capacity bump to the battery and still hopefully remain roughly the same weight as the current Pro Max. That extra thickness might even be able to get up to a > 6,000mAh battery which would not only blow every competitor out of the water re battery life but would also make the option of parasitic charging make sense e.g. iPhone able to charge AirPods or Apple Watch if unexpectedly away from home without a charger.

5 - USB-C port. I’m fed up of having different cables for my iPad and iPhone.

And that would pretty much do it for me. At some point I wouldn’t mind the iPhone going 100% connector-less worldwide, eSIM only and wireless charging only, but only when I am sure I can get an eSIM plan from pretty much every provider I might want to use and when very compact wireless travel chargers come out. A unified watch and iPhone mag charger would be nice so that I wouldn’t have to pack 2 charging pucks.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you should probably go into the niche phone-making business yourself.
 
I knew they would go back to a more rounded design eventually— it’s the only place left to go. And I’ve always found the rounded corners more comfortable to hold.

Since I know this will come up, yes, the iPhone 4/4S was an exception because that did not have true squared off edges due to the steel band in the middle, so it was indeed, still comfortable in the hand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: traveltoromantis
Leigh-zed said:
I think I must be the only person who prefers the current straight edge design. I found the curved edges always seemed more slippery in my hand and tended to put a straight edge case on anyway.
Click to expand...
No, I am with you as well. I don't see the curved backing as "premium" but we shall see.

I like the current design, just hate the shiny stainless steel (would rather have the matte finish).
 
  • Like
Reactions: _Spinn_, kltmom and spcopsmac21
MacRumors said:


Apple's 2023 iPhone will feature a titanium chassis with curved rear edges replacing the existing squared off design, claims a new rumor.

iPhone-14-Pro-Rear-Camera.jpg

According to Twitter user @ShrimpApplePro, the back edges of the iPhone 15 will be rounded to create a new border, similar to the bottom edges on the case of Apple's latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. For reference, the iPhone 14 models use a flat-sided design with squared off edges that harkens back to the iPhone 4. The last model to sport curved edges was the iPhone 11.

Despite the switch to titanium material, the iPhone 15 will "still have a back glass," claims the leaker, who has provided accurate information in the past, although @ShrimpApplePro cautions that the information comes "still very early to take it as it is."

This isn't the first time we've heard rumors claiming Apple will release a titanium iPhone. Earlier this year, iPhone 14 rumors suggested that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max would have a titanium alloy chassis, but that did not play out: All iPhone 14 models have a chassis made of aluminum and stainless steel.

However, Apple has recently investigated into the viability of titanium casings for its products, which include patents related to the use of processed titanium with unique properties for future MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones.

Compared to stainless steel, titanium has a relatively high hardness that makes it more resistant to scratches, and its stiffness makes it durable enough to withstand bending.

However, titanium's strength also makes it hard to etch, so Apple has developed a blasting, etching, and chemical process that can give titanium enclosures a high-gloss surface finish for a more attractive appearance. Apple has also been researching the use of thin oxide surface coatings which can reduce the appearance of oily fingerprints.

If the latest reports are accurate, it would be the first time Apple has used titanium in iPhones‌ and iPads. The company has used titanium as a casing material in recent Apple Watch models such as Apple Watch Ultra, and the physical Apple Card is made of titanium, but the latest iPhones and iPads are made of stainless steel and aluminum.

Likely to arrive in September 2023, the iPhone 15 models are expected to come in identical sizes to the iPhone 14 lineup and feature USB-C instead of Lightning, solid-state volume and power buttons, new camera technology, and Dynamic Island for all models.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple might potentially replace the "Pro Max" version of the iPhone 15 with a new "Ultra" model, following its Apple Watch Ultra naming convention to indicate a top-tier product. Whether the titanium case rumor relates to a specific iPhone 15 model, however, is unknown.

Article Link: iPhone 15 Could Feature Titanium Chassis With Curved Rear Edges
Click to expand...
I can get part of my liver it’s gonna look identical. Larger camera bump, heavier. It will feature 30% less battery life and only allow MagSafe charging.
It will start at $999USD and come with no cable or charger.

Dynamic island will take up 20% more screen. And FaceTime will require a DNA sample to be Bukaked on your face.

It just works.
 
Eggtastic said:
No, I am with you as well. I don't see the curved backing as "premium" but we shall see.

I like the current design, just hate the shiny stainless steel (would rather have the matte finish).
Click to expand...
Yea the stainless steel scratches insanely fast. Is a finger print magnet. I installed a DeBrand skin on mine the week it came out. I really really dislike this iPhone 14 Pro Max. The battery life is terrible and it weighs a ton. Laying in bed watching something is a workout after a while.
I think the muscles in my forearms are thicker now.

And on top of all of this my esim has failed three times since launch. I have to call Verizon to set it up again. And Verizon has told me it’s a known issue with the new esim iPhones. I should have stuck with my 12 Pro Max. It’s now my sons phone and he loves it. He upgrade from an SE.
 
  • Like
  • Sad
Reactions: Shirasaki, traveltoromantis and Eggtastic
bluespark said:
Yes, but unapologetically titanium.
Click to expand...
A TI case would negate MagSafe.
I wish they did away with all chargers and had the magnetic method used on the MacBook pros. Not the wireless garbage that takes forever to charge and then turns your phone into a hot potato.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973
Michael Scrip said:
I'm really curious to see how this will work.

When the iPhone switched to the solid-state home button... it had a capacitive ring around the button to make it operate.

But the volume and power buttons are very skinny and usually covered by a case.

So... will it be pressure-sensitive? Or something else?

🤔
Click to expand...
That ring initiated Touch ID, yes? And it existed before the solid state of the 7.

The touchpad of MacBooks are solid state, and they don’t have capacitive ring.

(Unless of course I’m talking out my bunghole and spouting falsities.)
 
Stronger frame is good, especially if weight that can be used elsewhere is the result. Otherwise, I'm not too sure what this will actually accomplish.
 
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