The iPhone 5 didn’t look or feel cheap despite the aluminum. So it’s not the material.
Last edited:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 17 Air Said to Feature Titanium Frame — Unlike iPhone 17 Pro
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If it has only one camera, and that camera has the same parts and same sensor of the main camera in the Pro, then I’ll consider buying it. But if Tim Cook decides to try to maximize profits by giving it a smaller sensor than on the Pro (which is what he did with the iPhone 16e), I won’t buy it.
I actually prefer aluminum over titanium in terms of looks (not to mention weight), so that would be a minus for the Air. The Samsung S25 Edge uses titanium as well, however.
Titanium is superior and I gotta imagine it is for one reason only, preventing the bend.
Yeah this really confuses me TBH.
Are they going to market it as 2 lenses in 1 since it can do a crop in zoom on the 48MP sensor like on the 16e?
But that of course doesn't give it ultrawide capabilities on vision pro video recording capabilities. But it's supposed to be more expensive then regular and almost a pro?
It's so weird. I suppose it's a "1st gen" product so their second gen will likely go back to having two lenses and use better battery tech and get new ltpo displays as well. That will likely be the one to buy.
Those phone
The iPhone 4 and 4S were using stainless steel. The 5 was using aluminum, though.
Ah, good catch, I forgot the 4 was different. I dislike shiny stainless steel, but matte/brushed is fine.
I'm really curious how they're going to make aluminum seem premium after using stainless steel and titanium as flossy design enhancers over the base models for all these years. Maybe they'll polish the edges like they did on the 5 and 5S?
I already don't see the point in picking the Pro models over the base models, unless you really do need the extra camera capabilities. Whether I upgrade my iPhone 15 PM this year really depends on price, but if things line up right, I'll likely go back to the non-pro phones.
I already don't see the point in picking the Pro models over the base models, unless you really do need the extra camera capabilities. Whether I upgrade my iPhone 15 PM this year really depends on price, but if things line up right, I'll likely go back to the non-pro phones.
Last edited:
Agree w/you about that matte treatment they did on the 4/4S, so much better than the polished stuff they did on later phones.
No titanium means the Pro can come in something other than various shades of grey again.
It will be priced similar to the Plus. It’s more expensive because it’s larger than the regular, and will be the thinnest and lightest iPhone.
Apple surely has statistics of how many spatial photos and videos are taken, which probably aren’t a lot overall. Given that Apple sells thousands of iPhones for each Vision Pro sold, it’s really not that relevant.
That doesn’t seem particularly likely to me.
Zero logic in this statement. Zero.
A 5mm phone with a 2mm case is still only 7mm in the hand....which is still thinner than a Pro Max without a case.
Kuo said it will have a “titanium-aluminum alloy metal frame, with a lower percentage of titanium than the current Pro and Pro Max metal frames.”
Clearly this is about making sure the Air does not bend. No surprise there.
Happy to see the Pro go aluminum. It's getting thicker so it needs help in getting lighter in any way possible.
Clearly this is about making sure the Air does not bend. No surprise there.
Happy to see the Pro go aluminum. It's getting thicker so it needs help in getting lighter in any way possible.
How? Does your phone work worse with aluminum? No. This is total nonsense. It makes zero difference to the user what metal the frame is.
Ti flexes more than alu or steel but it has superior yield strength (i.e. ti doesn’t like to snap!). For a comparably rigid shell to steel or alu it’d depend on the design.
I don’t want to generalize, but I feel like roughly speaking, Pro phone buyers can be divided into two groups:
Those who buy the Pro model genuinely for its features, the camera, battery, etc.
And those who buy the Pro model because it’s premium, a status symbol, shiny.
I would argue that the latter group isn’t particularly interested in a better camera or longer battery life, or any of the other specs on paper. They would happily buy an equally premium product that’s thinner and lighter. The Air is a bit like the coupe version of a Mercedes sedan or wagon.
Maybe not the most practical, but the most desirable. And from that perspective, using more premium titanium in the Air is actually very well justified.
Those who buy the Pro model genuinely for its features, the camera, battery, etc.
And those who buy the Pro model because it’s premium, a status symbol, shiny.
I would argue that the latter group isn’t particularly interested in a better camera or longer battery life, or any of the other specs on paper. They would happily buy an equally premium product that’s thinner and lighter. The Air is a bit like the coupe version of a Mercedes sedan or wagon.
Maybe not the most practical, but the most desirable. And from that perspective, using more premium titanium in the Air is actually very well justified.
Still don’t see it if it can’t do spacial 3D recording that’s if it truly requires 2 camera lenses and they only put one in this. Or is that the Apple approach we could have put two but we will do that on the 18 air otherwise we won’t have any real upgrade next year other than a processor.
The iPhone 17 Air sounds like a Frankenstein construction at this point!
I think it's aimed at being sort of a 'boutique" phone. One that almost no one would put a case on because a big part of its appeal IS simply that it's thin. Probably not a big market but big enough to pay for manufacturing and meanwhile it gets to try out some tech that will go into a foldable.
They need to fill a price point between the regular iPhone and the Pro, which are currently $200 apart (with the Plus in the middle, to be replaced by the Air). If they make the Air $999, then they’ll raise the prices of the regular and Pro as well.
“It is unclear why the iPhone 17 Air would have a titanium frame, as aluminum is lighter than titanium, which would be fitting for the device's rumored ultra-thin and lightweight design. Titanium is generally stronger than aluminum, however, so perhaps the material is necessary to ensure that the iPhone 17 Air's thin chassis is durable.”
Gee, ya think?
Gee, ya think?
Sigh. I will keep posting this, and people will continue to ignore it.
The 15 Pro and 16 Pro lines have ALUMINUM FRAMES. They have a very thin titanium band wrapped around the outside.
If the Air has a titanium frame, it will be the first.
The 15 Pro and 16 Pro lines have ALUMINUM FRAMES. They have a very thin titanium band wrapped around the outside.
If the Air has a titanium frame, it will be the first.
Last edited: