'iPhone Ultra' Concept Envisions Apple's Rumored Future Top-Tier Smartphone

[9594864]

This is the most embarrassingly bad design I’ve ever seen.

I honestly feel sorry for the designer that their brain told them that was going to happen.

Buddy, you aren’t a visionary, you have a terrible sense of design, terrible critical thinking, and low intellect.

It’s they legit copy/pasted the hideous Apple Watch ultra and called it a day lmao.

 

[iphonehype]

Looks like they need a new design team lol

 

[aidler]

This is getting out of control. I’m switching to the most basic iPhone model in the future. Let’s call it the iPhone 14 Plebs

 

[9594864]

No rounded edges please anymore to an iPhone. Our fingers are rounded. You can't square up two rounded items easily (baseball meet baseball bat.)

Rounded edges are ergonomic and intelligence means that humans would design a phone with rounded edges.

Ever held a steering wheel in your life? Ever held a door knob? How about a broom handle? Ever climb on monkey bars? Ever hold a video game controller.


That’s called intelligent design.

A squared edge phone = unintelligent design.

 

[9594864]

It looks beautiful. Masterpiece! I actually like it and it’s a work of art. I think the artist did a good job designing this.

This better be sarcasm. It’s the worst thing I’ve seen in a very long time. And it’s simply a copy of the Apple Watch ultra which is ultra-hideous

 

[Skyscraperfan]

If Apple comes up with an Ultra, the Pro will no longer be the "best iPhone ever". So people would still have to pay at least $999 for a phone that misses some features compared to the Ultra.

A really great feature would be getting rid of the dynamic island.

So it seems that 2023 will again be a boring year when it comes to iPhones, while the big upgrade might come next year.

I wonder if one day only the Ultra will get the latest CPU, while the Pro will get the CPU of last year's Ultra and the normal iPhone will get a two year old CPU.

 

[WaxedJacket]

I've actually grown to like the pill curves of the X series. If the 15 pro or whatever has it I wouldn't be upset. The raised up screen in the mock-up is disgusting though.

 

[GeoStructural]

Portless design? Again? Nobody has explained how that would work with no way to get into the device if the radio goes funny. And I don't see the benefit.

Exactly. One could argue it is for waterproofing, but the iPhone already has a good rating on it, so I don’t see the benefits of making it entirely portless, I would not like to rely on software and radios alone.

 

[phenste]

things we’ve learned from this render

1: the Ultra design should never be “adapted” to the iPhone

2: ^

 

[gentleman00]

Apple has reportedly considered releasing a new top-of-the-line iPhone alongside future Pro and Pro Max models, tentatively referred to as "iPhone Ultra," and one designer has taken it upon himself to envision what such a device could potentially look like.

German industrial designer Jonas Daehnert came up with this impressive-looking concept (pictured) by marrying design elements of the Apple Watch Ultra with a smaller imagined iPhone Pro model, which he describes as "12mm+ thick – the Ultra concept."

Like Apple's more rugged Apple Watch, Daehnert's titanium iPhone chassis features rounded edges with a flat upper rim that sits flush with the display. Elsewhere, there are protruding Side and Volume Up/Down buttons reminiscent of the watch's crown guard. The extra thickness of the chassis presumes a larger internal battery.

Other aspects of the Ultra design language that have been adopted for Daehnert's concept include a ruggedized Ring/Silent switch, a programmable Action button on the lower-left side, and a USB-C port located on the bottom with identical "International Orange" accent, sat in between expanded speaker grilles.

"I have no idea about all the leaks," Daehnert admitted when sharing the concept on Twitter. "It was just an exercise to see if it's possible to adapt the Watch Ultra design language."

Apple has discussed selling a new top-of-the-line iPhone alongside the Pro and Pro Max models in 2024 at the earliest, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this timeframe, the device would be part of the iPhone 16 lineup or later.

Gurman previously said there was "potential" for an iPhone 15 Ultra that would replace the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, but he has since revised that prediction, suggesting Apple might release an even higher-end "Ultra" model above both Pro variants by next year at the earliest.

Gurman speculated that the device could feature additional camera improvements, a faster chip, a larger display, and perhaps a portless design without Lightning or USB-C. He also said the device would be "pricier" than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at $1,099.

Separately, rumors suggest that iPhone 15 Pro models could feature thinner, curved bezels in comparison to the iPhone 14 Pro models, producing an Apple Watch-like appearance. Rather than stainless steel, the iPhone 15 Pro models are also rumored to use a titanium frame, like the Apple Watch Ultra. Titanium is lighter and more durable than stainless steel. It is, however, also more expensive.

Article Link: 'iPhone Ultra' Concept Envisions Apple's Rumored Future Top-Tier Smartphone

Too round-ish

 

[UltraInstinct]

I love it, sign me up.

 

[lk400]

I don't know. There is only so much you can do with a phone other than keep making a better camera. I think it has plateau'd for good. The 14 Pro Max will probably be a 6-8 year phone for me..

Apple has you covered! Battery death. My phone is at 85% battery health after a year of normal use. My Apple Watch 4 is going strong and all I need… except the battery is at 57%, such that it shuts down in the cold these days.

 

[Shasterball]

You know MacRumors is starting to lose it when a phone with a bunch of physical buttons, some random orange splashed around, huge bezels, and no actual creativity beyond combining different Apple devices into one is deemed n "impressive-looking concept."

 

[StuBeck]

I can't wait for every future article talking about this "iPhone Ultra" to use this same render until September.

And then for the phone to look nothing like it, and the bloggers to act like we're the dumb ones for believing what they posted.

 

[bartszyszka]

If the goal of the Ultra is to make the phone more rugged, I think they would make the back not have a camera bump at all. The extra thickness / lip for the screen would be to make the phone thicker so the camera doesn't need to stick out in the back.

 

[StellarVixen]

It looks sporty and kinda fat. Looks like the old colorful iPhone 5C, it doesn't look premium.

Look at it from a positive side, fatter phone = bigger battery you can fit inside = more battery life.

 

[MS2]

When you ever wondered what are the problem multi trillion dollar companies face: Should we call it "Max Pro" or "Ultra" ... guess that explains like a lot ...

 

[Jack Neill]

I think that looks awesome, I would buy one. I don't mind a little thicker if it was more durable and had absurd battery life.

 

[MBX]

That border/ bezel thick. Yikes!

 

[4743913]

Apple has you covered! Battery death. My phone is at 85% battery health after a year of normal use. My Apple Watch 4 is going strong and all I need… except the battery is at 57%, such that it shuts down in the cold these days.

Im a dude so I dont walk around with a phone attached to my head all day.. if my battery lasts 1 hour a day, Im good. I have other devices to do important things..

 

[phenste]

Portless design? Again? Nobody has explained how that would work with no way to get into the device if the radio goes funny. And I don't see the benefit.

on a serious note: I’ve had a gut feeling for years that Apple will eventually go portless with iPhone. how? I don’t know. I’m neither an industrial designer nor (more pertinent to your genuine concern) an engineer. but they’ll figure it out in some way, shape, or form. maybe I’m wrong, because this concept is from Ive’s days and post-Ive days have been about adding back wired connectivity, but they’ve spoken constantly about a wireless future (and to that end, their greatest manifestation of that—a laptop with two f—king ports—ended up being one of the worst products in post-NeXT Apple history and one that spawned one the worst years-long PR embarrassments in the history of MacBooks [see: butterfly keyboard]).

 

[JustAnExpat]

You know, if the source isn't Apple's actual design team, we should really start calling these "fan art" rather than "concepts". Because fan-art is all they really are, even if they are admittedly pretty neat looking.

THIS! 100% This! These images are not based on any patents, any leaks, or other information. It's just one person, who doesn't work at Apple, opinion on how the "iPhone Ultra" should look like.

 

[Piplodocus]

To make it Pro just stuff a fast USB-C or Thunderbolt port in it and give it a mode where it runs displays at native res and supports bluetooth mouse/keyboard.

Then you can turn up somewhere, plug your phone in any USB-C monitor or dock, grab mouse/keys and use it like an iPadOS full computer. That's a Pro phone. That's top-tier. That should be doable when an old cheap computer can do it. Not just supporting a video mode that you can't get the video on and off in a reasonable time because the port is too slow, or giving it a slightly better camera. Just being able to plug your iphone in a monitor or TV screen that scales properly would be great (not like years of crap iPad black bars they've only just fixed on new models). Take an Xbox controller and a phone round a friends house and voila: ultra-portable game console! All your movies! Using apps on a big screen with full mouse/key control! Then slip it in your pocket and you're off again.

 

[anthogag]

The Ultra would not have the USB-C port, it would be totally wireless.

This iPhone Ultra looks better for holding and it wouldn’t need a case. The camera should be flush.

 

[NT1440]

Honestly, as much as I’ll never buy a gigantic phone…this render is actually nice and it would be durable as hell with the protective lip around the screen.