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

iPhone 15 Pro Max Could Have Thinner Camera Bump and Smaller Footprint [Updated]

I really hope this next phone isn't as flashy as the 13s and 14s. Big camera bumps. Polished stainless steel.

Maybe I'm just used to my trusty 11 Pro. I'd probably just stay with it but the storage is killing me. I've thought of buying a refurbished one with more storage but if I'm paying $800+ I might as well pay a couple hundred more for the 14 Pro.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sorgo †
Jamie0003 said:
What about the mute switch? I really want this to be replaced with a button so I can control muting using Siri Shortcuts / focus
Click to expand...
I love the switch! I've used one since 2005 on a Palm Trēo. It's satisfying to know once I feel that physical switch snap into place, I don't have to worry about any alerts coming through.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris, arkitect, moulderine and 1 other person
JulianL said:
Thanks for doing that calculation. I find that “only ~3%” increase in total volume disappointing. I agree with you that thickness is the least important dimension, at least for me as well, since the camera bump and protruding lenses determine the maximum thickness anyway so I’m a bit disappointed that Apple didn’t increase the thickness of the main body a bit more, maybe even a full 1mm or so, in order to give even more internal space for a bigger battery. If the rumours of rounded edges are true I doubt an extra 1mm thickness to the main body would make it more difficult to hold and for people who say “what camera bump?” because they use a case that hides it then all it means is that the material on the back of the case becomes slightly thinner but still more than thick enough to protect the back of the phone from scratches.
Click to expand...
I agree that a 1 mm increase in thickness (which would be a 12% increase) to accommodate more battery wouldn't significantly affect how easy it is to handle the phone. Plus doing that would make the camera bump significantly less prominent.

However, I think Apple's concern is that a 12% increase in thickness means (assuming constant density) a 12% increase in weight in an already heavy phone. Plus it takes away from the phone's overall sleekness, which might affect marketability (Apple and its customers like sleek -- just look at what they did with the AS iMac, which isn't even a portable device). Some may not mind that for the longer battery life (and some might want it even thicker), but I suspect Apple doesn't want to go in that direction.
 
05CC672D-21EC-4B5C-86C1-062517EFE2D5.jpeg

I thought this was some kind of a meme at first and laughed at it as I was scrolling by before I realized it was a water mark.

My humor is broken…
 
  • Haha
Reactions: orbital~debris
Anyone else concerned about non-mechanical buttons? You won't be able to use full coverage cases anymore. They might get fiddly if your hands are damp or if you're wearing gloves (much like the screen but right now you can reject a call without taking off gloves).

I know Apple has a long standing reputation of not doing things a certain way until that way works well, but.. I still have my worries. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris
theorist9 said:
However, I think Apple's concern is that a 12% increase in thickness means (assuming constant density) a 12% increase in weight in an already heavy phone. Plus it takes away from the phone's overall sleekness, which might affect marketability (Apple and its customers like sleek -- just look at what they did with the AS iMac, which isn't even a portable device). Some may not mind that for the longer battery life (and some might want it even thicker), but I suspect Apple doesn't want to go in that direction.
Click to expand...
Titanium should make the phone lighter. And also, it's true that increasing the thickness a tiny bit is no big deal... But they've been doing that with every release. Compare an 11 Pro with a 14 Pro for example; the latter is significantly chonkier.

While I'm all about that extra battery life, it's gotten significantly heavier and thicker and I really don't want to go much further in that direction. It's like, people got upset about phones getting to thin and crappy battery so Apple just did a full 180 and went too far in the OTHER direction.

(Also, how come the forum doesn't combine consecutive posts anymore? It used to do that.)
 
cocoua said:
So
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Max
iPhone Pro
iPhone Ultra

But
M1
M1 Pro
M1 Max
M1 Ultra
Click to expand...
Yeah, the problem is that, for the phone, Max refers to physical size while Pro refers to performance/features while, for the Macs, both Pro and Max refer to performance/features.

I don't know how they make the naming consistent, or if they even need to, since those are completely different product lines.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris and cocoua
davidg4781 said:
I love the switch! I've used one since 2005 on a Palm Trēo. It's satisfying to know once I feel that physical switch snap into place, I don't have to worry about any alerts coming through.
Click to expand...
I get its usefulness, but I want to be able to automate my phone muting. I have no reason to mute other than at work, and want it to turn on and off automatically as I arrive and leave work. Because the switch exists, this isn’t currently possible
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris and Saturn1217
My X is starting to show it's age with the battery and time to get on the 5G train.
Will just have to decide on the regular Pro or Pro Max, right now leaning towards the Max or whatever Apple decides to name the larger screen
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris
zorinlynx said:
Titanium should make the phone lighter. And also, it's true that increasing the thickness a tiny bit is no big deal... But they've been doing that with every release. Compare an 11 Pro with a 14 Pro for example; the latter is significantly chonkier.

While I'm all about that extra battery life, it's gotten significantly heavier and thicker and I really don't want to go much further in that direction. It's like, people got upset about phones getting to thin and crappy battery so Apple just did a full 180 and went too far in the OTHER direction.

(Also, how come the forum doesn't combine consecutive posts anymore? It used to do that.)
Click to expand...
Making it out of plastic is lightest, cheapest, and most durable. Plastic absorbs WAY more impact than metal. Metal phones are brilliant marketing that works on stupid people.
 
davidg4781 said:
I really hope this next phone isn't as flashy as the 13s and 14s. Big camera bumps. Polished stainless steel.

Maybe I'm just used to my trusty 11 Pro. I'd probably just stay with it but the storage is killing me. I've thought of buying a refurbished one with more storage but if I'm paying $800+ I might as well pay a couple hundred more for the 14 Pro.
Click to expand...
I love the polished stainless steel on the 12/13/14 Pro series. Especially the silver models. Wouldn’t mind the phones being slightly thicker with smaller camera bumps though. That is a welcome change, if true.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris
iPhone Max is a great indicator, what happens when you have ppl like Tim Cook at the helm, who dont give a crap about usability. Thats why Max is a overweight and oversized phone that is pain in the A to use.
 
theorist9 said:
I agree that a 1 mm increase in thickness (which would be a 12% increase) to accommodate more battery wouldn't significantly affect how easy it is to handle the phone. Plus doing that would make the camera bump significantly less prominent.

However, I think Apple's concern is that a 12% increase in thickness means (assuming constant density) a 12% increase in weight in an already heavy phone. Plus it takes away from the phone's overall sleekness, which might affect marketability (Apple and its customers like sleek -- just look at what they did with the AS iMac, which isn't even a portable device). Some may not mind that for the longer battery life (and some might want it even thicker), but I suspect Apple doesn't want to go in that direction.
Click to expand...
I 100% agree on the weight issue. If the rumours of a titanium chassis on the Pro models (or maybe just a new Ultra model which may or may not equate to the current Pro Max) are true then that would givensome weight savings to compensate but I can’t imagine that would be anything like enough to fully offset a day 12% bigger battery. I think the holy grail there could be the back. I remember literally my biggest ever “wow!” moment with an iPhone was when, as an iPhone 4 owner, I went into an Apple Store to look at the then-newly-released iPhone 5 and I really was amazed when I picked up the 5 - even with it’s bigger chassis and screen it almost felt as if I had just entered a lower gravity zone because it felt so light in comparison to my iPhone 4. That I assume was because Apple switched from a glass back on the 4 to an aluminium (I think) back on the 5.

Of course Apple now has wireless charging to consider so it can’t play exactly that same trick again but there must be some of the best materials engineers in the world working for Apple given its resources and scale of operations. If only Apple could come up with an alternative to the glass back that wouldn’t interfere with wireless charging, still looked very premium, was durable and crucially a lot lighter than glass then that might address the weight issue. I’d be surprised if, in a company with the size and resources of Apple, there isn’t at least a small team somewhere closely monitoring what’s out there in terms of materials science with a very specific goal of at some point being able to offer the broader design teams alternatives to a glass back because it could open up all sorts of options for Apple.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Saturn1217
JulianL said:
I 100% agree on the weight issue. If the rumours of a titanium chassis on the Pro models (or maybe just a new Ultra model which may or may not equate to the current Pro Max) are true then that would givensome weight savings to compensate but I can’t imagine that would be anything like enough to fully offset a day 12% bigger battery. I think the holy grail there could be the back. I remember literally my biggest ever “wow!” moment with an iPhone was when, as an iPhone 4 owner, I went into an Apple Store to look at the then-newly-released iPhone 5 and I really was amazed when I picked up the 5 - even with it’s bigger chassis and screen it almost felt as if I had just entered a lower gravity zone because it felt so light in comparison to my iPhone 4. That I assume was because Apple switched from a glass back on the 4 to an aluminium (I think) back on the 5.

Of course Apple now has wireless charging to consider so it can’t play exactly that same trick again but there must be some of the best materials engineers in the world working for Apple given its resources and scale of operations. If only Apple could come up with an alternative to the glass back that wouldn’t interfere with wireless charging, still looked very premium, was durable and crucially a lot lighter than glass then that might address the weight issue. I’d be surprised if, in a company with the size and resources of Apple, there isn’t at least a small team somewhere closely monitoring what’s out there in terms of materials science with a very specific goal of at some point being able to offer the broader design teams alternatives to a glass back because it could open up all sorts of options for Apple.
Click to expand...
They were working on replacing the Gorilla Glass with sapphire for a while, but nothing came of it. Sapphire (4.05 g/cm^3) is denser than Gorilla Glass (2.4 g/cm^3), and I'm not sure how much thinner it could be and still be robust, so this was probably only for scratch-resistance.

www.theverge.com

The company that dashed our sapphire-covered iPhone dreams is being charged with fraud

Now, it’s only sparingly used on pricier Apple Watches and to cover camera lenses
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com

The ultimate material for a smart phone might be beryllium (or a beryllium alloy or composite), as Be is 2/3 the density of Al and (for equal thickness) twice as stiff. Those are a big part of the reason Be and its alloys are used in the aerospace industry (the mirrors on the JWST are made from Be). But it would be prohibitively expensive for a smart phone. [Many smartphones use Be-based compounds in battery contacts and other electrical connectors, but that's in small quantitites.]
 
Last edited:
Am I the only one who misses the days when we could expect more than charging method, new color and material?? And pissed about them not having USB-C for iPhones but only had USB-C ports for macbooks and told us that USB-C port is the only port we would ever need??
 
  • Like
Reactions: Coldsmoke55
It must be so profitable not having to change the design for every like 4 years, despite the volumes they will move and the premiums for basically the same device.
 
Humans can not feel less than 1 mm, so, its the same size people! Just to buy a new case, good news for case makers.
 
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