You could sit a 14, 15 and 16 in front of me and, without looking at the sides, I couldn't tell you which was which. How is the 14 different other than not being wrapped with titanium, visually?
For one, the 15 and 16 still use aluminum, not titanium. Only the Pro models, which I haven’t talked about, used titanium: the 15 Pro and the 16 Pro, with the 17 Pro using only aluminum this year.
But let’s focus on the regular, non-Pro models. The ones being discussed here. You’re right that the size difference between the 12/13/14 design and the 15/16/17 design is almost non-existent. I’ve measured a 14 and a 15 face to face, together, and the 15 is maybe only 1mm bigger.
But the design… the design is different, and that’s just based on what we see from the outside. Maybe internally the differences are bigger.
The edges on the 12/13/14 are quite angular, while the 15/16/17 body has rounded edges. Thus, the machinery used for both designs is different. Two different production lines. Also, the screens are different as well, with the 15/16/17 having rounder corners with bigger radius curve than the 12/13/14, and one has a Notch and the other the Dynamic Island.
Sure, the differences between both designs aren’t big enough for the majority of the people, but the production lines are different, and I suspect the 12/13/14 pieces are cheaper to manufacture or they have more stock available.
Sure, eventually Apple will start using the iPhone 15/16/17 body for the iPhone “e” variant. Because the pieces will keep being cheaper to produce eventually. I’m just saying that I don’t see it happening next year with the 17e, but rather in 2027 with the 18e, because by then Apple will have -allegedly- more attractive devices in their iPhone lineup.
That’s just my opinion but, as I said, I’m not a leaker, I’m just deducting the most likely path of action, and if the leaker doesn’t have a great track record, then I don’t think I will believe for now.
