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Leaker Pushes Back on Rumors of Pro iPhone's Return to Titanium

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The Pro iPhone models are unlikely to return to titanium in the near future due to the heat dissipation demands of local AI, according to a known Weibo leaker.

iPhone-15-Pro-Cameras.jpg

The claim comes from the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital," and pushes back on an earlier report from "Instant Digital," who suggested Apple was weighing up the use of liquid metal or an improved titanium alloy as a longer-term replacement for aluminum iPhone frames. Fixed Focus Digital argues that aluminum's thermal properties make it the only practical choice for now, given the processing requirements of AI features. The leaker adds that this is not an Apple-specific issue, noting that Android and Huawei HarmonyOS devices also prioritize aluminum for the same reason.

Instant Digital's earlier report argued that Apple's switch from titanium to aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro was a compromise solution while it continued to develop longer-term alternatives. The leaker claimed Apple was exploring both liquid metal and revised titanium alloys for future Pro models, with both materials reportedly already earmarked for the upcoming foldable iPhone.

Apple switched away from titanium following overheating complaints on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models, although the iPhone Air continues to use it. Fixed Focus Digital's assessment suggests aluminum is more deeply entrenched in Apple's plans than Instant Digital's framing implied, at least for the foreseeable future. The iPhone 18 Pro is expected to retain the same aluminum unibody design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, meaning any material change is unlikely before 2027 at the earliest.

Article Link: Leaker Pushes Back on Rumors of Pro iPhone's Return to Titanium
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/26/leaker-pushes-back-on-titanium-iphone-return/
I'm no engineer but the thermal argument doesn't make any sense to me. For one, on the iPhone 17, the vapor chamber doesn't even touch the aluminum. You would think if you wanted to maximize aluminum's thermal properties, you would have the vapor chamber touch the aluminum.

Two, the titanium on the iPhone 15 and 16 is just a band around the outside of the phone. It has minimal thermal impacts on the internals. The glass back is another story. Glass is a fantastic thermal insulator and again, no engineer, but I would think would have significantly greater impact on thermal regulation than a thin piece of metal (no matter what it's made of) around the outside of the phone. 🤷‍♂️
 
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xpxp2002 said:
If true, another victim of common sense design being preempted by the ongoing rush to shove AI down everyone’s throats.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t necessarily say that using titanium is “common sense” design.
It’s “nice” no doubt, and for an insanely thin phone like the iPhone Air it makes sense.
However, it is very true that titanium is…
•less eco-friendly
•harder to anodize, which is why almost every titanium iPhone was a shade of gray or blue
•heavier
• less thermally conductive

There’s also the fact that a lot of people like to forget, but even the titanium iPhones are only titanium on the outer edges, underneath about a millimeter of titanium is just… The same aluminum found elsewhere.

Either way it doesn’t seem to matter, all of the current rumors point to next year‘s pro iPhones and the ones going forward having a curved glass front and back, only having a tiny little strip of metal on the sides to support the buttons, which might not even be physical buttons anymore.
At that point it really doesn’t matter what the metal is because it’s barely going to affect thermals to begin with, it’s just a tiny 2 MM or so wide strip.
 
Lounge vibes 05 said:
I wouldn’t necessarily say that using titanium is “common sense” design.
It’s “nice” no doubt, and for an insanely thin phone like the iPhone Air it makes sense.
However, it is very true that titanium is…
•less eco-friendly
•harder to anodize, which is why almost every titanium iPhone was a shade of gray or blue
•heavier
• less thermally conductive

There’s also the fact that a lot of people like to forget, but even the titanium iPhones are only titanium on the outer edges, underneath about a millimeter of titanium is just… The same aluminum found elsewhere.

Either way it doesn’t seem to matter, all of the current rumors point to next year‘s pro iPhones and the ones going forward having a curved glass front and back, only having a tiny little strip of metal on the sides to support the buttons, which might not even be physical buttons anymore.
At that point it really doesn’t matter what the metal is because it’s barely going to affect thermals to begin with, it’s just a tiny 2 MM or so wide strip.
Click to expand...
Getting rid of physical buttons makes sense, Titanium makes no sense at all.
 
The 16 Pro definitely gets hot very easily. It looks way better than the 17 Pro but the heat issues are definitely a thing. So I'm not surprised that they're avoiding titanium going forward.
 
rymc02 said:
I'm no engineer but the thermal argument doesn't make any sense to me. For one, on the iPhone 17, the vapor chamber doesn't even touch the aluminum. You would think if you wanted to maximize aluminum's thermal properties, you would have the vapor chamber touch the aluminum.

Two, the titanium on the iPhone 15 and 16 is just a band around the outside of the phone. It has minimal thermal impacts on the internals. The glass back is another story. Glass is a fantastic thermal insulator and again, no engineer, but I would think would have significantly greater impact on thermal regulation than a thin piece of metal (no matter what it's made of) around the outside of the phone. 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
Regardless of what seems logical, the reality is the 16 Pro (and the 15 Pro as well) has heating issues. I moved to the 17 Pro from the 15 and it has been a massive improvement in terms of the phone not overheating. My partner has the 16 Pro and that thing gets incredibly hot, sometimes to the point that it has to pause charging. I have never once had charging pause due to temperature with the 17 Pro
 
I thought the 18 series was going to be the S series, and all their focus is on the Anniversary edition coming next year anyways.
 
Apple need to find solution for heat issue for use titanium if Apple using MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) for cooling fan + vapor chamber is gonna be great even use titanium hopefully
 
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My partner’s 16pm is so heavy, it reminds me of a Cluedo murder weapon.

So I’m ok with the 17-18 being in aluminium!

(Not that a think she’s going to murder me, or anything. Well maybe when I don’t put the toilet seat down).
 
IIGS User said:
My 16PM is thermally challenged, there's no doubting that. This sucker gets hot. Quickly.
Click to expand...
16 Pro here. When I’m plugged into CarPlay and doing some combination of turn-by-turn directions and listening to music, and try to do literally anything else (as a passenger of course), not only does the phone get extremely warm, but it also grinds to a halt, and even struggles to keep the music playing.

Or when I’m on the train and service is going in and out and in and out, and try to do music + anything else on my phone, especially if I have real time transit info on, same thing where I basically can’t do anything.

Granted my battery is at 88% capacity, but it still seems ridiculous.
 
chi-tamarindo said:
Regardless of what seems logical, the reality is the 16 Pro (and the 15 Pro as well) has heating issues. I moved to the 17 Pro from the 15 and it has been a massive improvement in terms of the phone not overheating. My partner has the 16 Pro and that thing gets incredibly hot, sometimes to the point that it has to pause charging. I have never once had charging pause due to temperature with the 17 Pro
Click to expand...
Yea it would be interesting to see how much a difference a vapor chamber would have made in the 15 and 16 Pro. One issue I just realized is that the internal frame is responsible for radiating heat out to the edges of the phone. With a steel band it does a better job of allowing the heat to conduct away compared to titanium. Still not as big of a factor as the glass, but still a factor.
 
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