No. I like the natural titanium of both my v1 Apple Watch Ultra and my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Also I actively dislike shiny steel and actively dislike colorful aluminum. YMMV.
I feel like even a thin case is better than a bare phone especially now that they have glass on the back. Yes I’ve seen them survive drops, but I’ve also watched my phone drop 18 inches on a tile floor and shatter the back glass.
Yes. So? Historically the side rails are much more prone to scratches and scuffs than the back is, metal or not. Doesn’t do anyone any good if just the sides scratch but not the glass.
Not only that, but modern aluminum alloys like the 7000 series used in iPhones are engineered to match the properties of titanium alloys in many applications. Titanium alloys have their use cases, especially at higher temperatures, but for iPhones it's entirely down to marketing. If durability was their main driving force then they would have stuck with steel.
If I take my iPhone 15 Pro and burn it at just below the temperature that titanium would melt, all I would have left is the titanium sides. I get your comment regarding aluminium and stainless steel iPhones, but is the same true about the titanium?
The metal used in outer band of the iPhone 15 and 16 Pro is an alloy of titanium, aluminum, and vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V). The addition of these metals results in an alloy that is stronger, less prone to corrode, and has a higher melting point than pure titanium.
I'm not discrediting your experiences but one of the main weaknesses of titanium and its alloys are their susceptibility to damage by abrasion. For all of its strengths, titanium scratches easily, even more so than steal or aluminum. There's a lot of research going into coatings, e.g., for titanium implants, to prevent damage from abrasion which can be a major problem. Because the iPhone Pro's titanium isn't polished scratches don't show like they do on the glossy stainless steel of older models. A brushed stainless steel like that on the iPhone 4 and 4S holds up really well too.
A) Pure titanium is never used in iPhone frames; only alloys.
Not everything is clickbait and I don’t know why you’d assume it is if you don’t know the creator, which you seemingly don’t. Of course you can take issue with how flooded online spaces are with clickbait in general, but that doesn’t mean you can generalize all content you don’t know.
Do you have insider info that allows you to say "use of titanium allow [alloy] had no technical purpose in the design; it's merely for aesthetics" ? Just like in high performance aircraft, sometimes titanium alloys are used, but it depends on the design and is not merely for aesthetics. I suspect iPhone design is similar; remember Bendgate? Light, strong and rigid can be useful design characteristics in a phone frame as well as in an airframe. The aesthetics are good too. ;~)
Sorry but someone making a video of melting an iPhone is IMO by definition clickbait. The video's creator might be Einstein and also a fine human being, but such a video remains sensationalism. Others may like on the entertainment, but it is entertainment. Heck, I might even like on the entertainment, but given "how flooded online spaces are with clickbait in general" I generally choose not to waste my time looking to find the few gems of useful info that exist.
That must be exhausting. Disregarding everything when it’s not perfect. Don’t get me wrong YT titles are clickbait by design. But that doesn’t mean the content itself is not useful, interesting or informative. You just need to be aware which sources (channels) are worthy of your attention - but this is true everywhere, even in news reporting.
I didn’t have the 14 Pro but the 11 Pro which is with 188g one gram heavier than my 15 Pro, and I honestly didn’t know that until just looking it up, and it feels a lot better in the hand concerning weight distribution. It’s bigger in every dimension compared to my 11 Pro but feels effortless in my hands or when I’m playing around with it without a case with just to fingers. I think it’s great.
I'm a lousy typist, but this ain't court, and you ain't owed. That said, as it happens, one workgroup in my organization routinely deconstructs and analyzes - physically, as well as logically - computing gear considered for procurement. It's not insider information; we generate original source data. And, yes, we're well versed in the metallurgical and structural properties of Titanium.
I’m in the never put in a case crowd. Except for the curved models from the 6 to the 11. I could never get a grip on those phones. Begrudgingly used a case.
