iPhone 14 Pro Max When is Apple going to innovate looking ways to decrease weight in iPhones?

[joscejrod]

I have decided to open a thread exclusive to this topic. Regarding iPads & Macs, they released iPad Air and Macbook Air some year ago and now are the most popular options. Customers really value more comfortable devices to live with and leave inconvenience of Pro models to people that are going to take advance to the differential features.

However, in Iphones (and now watches) all year the weight of devices is increased more a more and it seems that 14 & 14 plus models are never recommended by reviews. This Friday I received “my” new iphone 14 PM (coming from 11 PM) and the feel when I hold it for first time was shocking. How is possible that someone really feel this device comfortable to use? Of course you can learn to get used to it, but no one can say “I really like this characteristic or I’m happy with it”. Why apple does not invest in other materials like magnesium/titanium or use aluminum 7000 to decrease weight?? I’m very frustrated because I don’t want to reduce screen to 6,1” (pro model) an 14 PM is excessively heavy 🤦🏼‍♂️

 

[throAU]

My 13 mini is pretty light

 

[GoodOne]

I returned my 14PM and got the Pro instead and it feels so much more comfortable.
The 11 PM was the Pro Max last iPhone that felt comfortable to me, I returned the 12PM and got a 12 after that.

i really hope they don’t push it even more to 250g on the PM and 220g for the regular pro or something l Ike that.
206g on the 14 pro is ok but it shouldn’t go any further than that.

but knowing Apple they will eventually come around and sell it as the best thing ever. But I fear it won’t be next year.

 

[Shirasaki]

Aluminium is not stainless steel. Titanium would double iPhone price for sure. There doesn’t seem to have many other options to reduce weight other than giving up Wireless charging and going back to iPhone 6s material. That glass back is heavy too, and nothing much can be done about it.

 

[Andeddu]

My 13 mini is pretty light

The Mini is made of aluminium instead of stainless steel which is what the other non-Mini phones are made of.

 

[internetrando]

Want a better camera?

Want better battery life?

Want better performance?

Want more features?

Want more durability?

Nothing comes for free. All of these things take space and have weight. I expect device weights to continue increasing.

A switch to titanium would be welcome for weight, but would consumers be willing to pay considerably higher prices than they already pay? Current prices for Pro models are already high—nearly $2,000 for a phone with taxes and AppleCare alone. I think we are at or near the limit of what the market will bear in terms of costs.

There is arguably a point where a device will become too heavy for most, but we are not there yet. Until we get to that point, I’m not sure things are going to change.

 

[Ryan1524]

Titanium housing in iPhone 15, probably.

iPhone Ultra (15)

• Lighter weight + new form factor
• USB-C
• Even better camera

 

[seajewel]

Coming from an iPhone X to the 14 Pro the weight increase is actually pretty shocking. I read a lot in bed and have a bad shoulder and that shoulder is aching after just one night. It is making me question whether I need to go non-Pro. I’ve already decided to go caseless because any additional weight would be very unwelcome.

 

[joscejrod]

Aluminium is not stainless steel. Titanium would double iPhone price for sure. There doesn’t seem to have many other options to reduce weight other than giving up Wireless charging and going back to iPhone 6s material. That glass back is heavy too, and nothing much can be done about it.

Aluminium has been promoted by apple like non-pro material in iPhones and watches, but aluminum series 7000 is used in aerospatial industry as one of the more durable materials with less weight. The real “advantage” of stainless steel is to look posh with polished finished, but if you use case you loose that “advantage” and only have the weight added. At least in watches sport and inox versions have the same features, so you can choose between going posh or not in materials…

14 plus weights 37 gr less than 14 PM. That’s a lot! Should be interest to know how many grams are added by differential features and how many are added only for Inox…

 

[Ryan1524]

Now that we have magsafe, do we really need a full glass back? Maybe they can trim down the amount of glass. I'm not sure Apple would ever have a non-uniform back, but that might be the next evolution of the camera bump. A new way of hiding it, by intentionally making the back look like multiple panels.

 

[Shirasaki]

Aluminium has been promoted by apple like non-pro material in iPhones and watches, but aluminum series 7000 is used in aerospatial industry as one of the more durable materials with less weight. The real “advantage” of stainless steel is to look posh with polished finished, but if you use case you loose that “advantage” and only have the weight added. At least in watches sport and inox versions have the same features, so you can choose between going posh or not in materials…

14 plus weights 37 gr less than 14 PM. That’s a lot! Should be interest to know how many grams are added by differential features and how many are added only for Inox…

While aluminium frame can help, aluminium doesn’t feel as premium as stainless steel (evidently reflected by Apple Watch ss edition in the past). iPhone 14 Pro Max is a premium phone. Aluminium doesn’t fit.

And glass back is also a big offender. Idk how that would work.

 

[Xand&Roby]

Titanium housing in iPhone 15, probably.

iPhone Ultra (15)

• Lighter weight + new form factor
• USB-C
• Even better camera

As long as Apple develops production chains for such widespread devices that use materials other than the usual aluminum and steel we will become old.

This is not Apple by Jobs, who sold Titanium PowerBooks.

This is Apple by Cook, who also managed to remove the ceramic from the back of the Apple Watch and put 4 screws in it to save something.

Titanium.. buy an Ultra and enjoy it there.

 

[Xand&Roby]

While aluminium frame can help, aluminium doesn’t feel as premium as stainless steel (evidently reflected by Apple Watch ss edition in the past). iPhone 14 Pro Max is a premium phone. Aluminium doesn’t fit.

And glass back is also a big offender. Idk how that would work.

Uhm, Apple Watch Edition were made of gold, ceramic, titanium, not steel.

Just to figure out what’s premium.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I have decided to open a thread exclusive to this topic. Regarding iPads & Macs, they released iPad Air and Macbook Air some year ago and now are the most popular options. Customers really value more comfortable devices to live with and leave inconvenience of Pro models to people that are going to take advance to the differential features.

However, in Iphones (and now watches) all year the weight of devices is increased more a more and it seems that 14 & 14 plus models are never recommended by reviews. This Friday I received “my” new iphone 14 PM (coming from 11 PM) and the feel when I hold it for first time was shocking. How is possible that someone really feel this device comfortable to use? Of course you can learn to get used to it, but no one can say “I really like this characteristic or I’m happy with it”. Why apple does not invest in other materials like magnesium/titanium or use aluminum 7000 to decrease weight?? I’m very frustrated because I don’t want to reduce screen to 6,1” (pro model) an 14 PM is excessively heavy 🤦🏼‍♂️

You don't know that they aren't doing that already.

 

[JulianL]

I suspect that the biggest win would be to find some way to move away from the glass back. To appreciate the possibilities does anyone remember that moment they picked up an iPhone 5 after owning a 4 or a 4s? When I did that in an Apple store it was perhaps the biggest “oh wow!” moment that I’ve ever had with an iPhone and the 5 was bigger than the 4/4s. I’m pretty sure that a big factor in that weight reduction was moving away from a glass back on the 4/4s.

Apple must have some good materials scientists of its payroll. If only Apple could come up with something, maybe a fancy plastic, that looked really good and high end like glass and didn’t interfere with wireless charging; that would be innovation that I would really like to see.

 

[cateye]

no one can say “I really like this characteristic or I’m happy with it”.

If you're going to ask people to accept and support your preference for lighter and/or slimmer devices, it might aid your quest if you're not so immediately dismissive of other people's preferences.

Earlier this year, I upgraded from an iPhone 11 to an iPhone 13 Pro. The 13 Pro is noticeably thicker and heavier, and has the sharp slab sides. While these weren't the exclusive reasons why I upgraded, they were a big part of it. I like that the 13 Pro feels substantive and heavy. To me, that makes it easier to hold and to use. The square sides, in particular, are just so much more comfortable than the slippery rounded edge of my old 11.

The stainless steel frame doesn't matter that much to me. I find some of Apple's design touches, particularly with materials, to be sort of silly and fussy for no real gain. But if that extra weight means I also get practical and functional improvements like better battery life and room for better cameras, then I'm all for it and won't shed a single tear for the end of "thin and light" as an endpoint.

I don't have a problem with Apple creating devices that target thin and light for the people who prefer thin and light. I think everyone should have the device they want to have and enjoy to use. But don't assume that's what everyone wants because it was all that Apple made for a while. Now it's my turn to not have to "settle."

 

[TimmKook]

The fact that people continue to buy our "Max" or "6.7" devices is astonishing. They're way too big. We only make them because people think they need "the biggest" to be the "best" and because we can charge extra for them.

Take it from me. I'm Timm Kook. Get the Pro (6.1", NOT THE MAX) and you'll be happy.

 

[Ryan1524]

Maybe carbon-reinforced nylon or forged carbon fiber, like in sports cars. Or some other fiber composite or polymer.

The material is stronger than steel but as lightweight as plastic

Polymerizing a material in two dimensions.

www.techexplorist.com

I can see Apple using some fancy new material, marketing the hell out of it as revolutionary for weight, and perhaps even coming from recycle-able source.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

This is not Apple by Jobs, who sold Titanium PowerBooks.

This is Apple by Cook, who also managed to remove the ceramic from the back of the Apple Watch and put 4 screws in it to save something.

Titanium.. buy an Ultra and enjoy it there.

A bit of a spin you’re putting on things there, the titanium PowerBooks only existed for two years, and had tons of durability issues because they… were not one single piece of titanium and were cheeply painted.
Here’s a quote from a review of the first aluminum power book:

“Hand-tool-like durability and convenience is a tall order for a high-tech device that has to cram the entire contents of a traditionally-stationary and rarely-touched desktop computer, including all input and output devices, into a stylish container the size of a small stack of paper. When things go well, the notebook seems almost magical, like an impossible object. But there is a vast potential for things to go wrong. This is the low-level, down in the trenches story you won't read about in press releases or on product information pages.

The TiBook is a perfect example, and a cautionary tale. The flip side of its sleek looks and exotic metallurgy is that (surprise!) it's apparently not easy to get paint to stick to titanium. The results were ugly.
There were also hinge problems, heat problems, keyboard issues, and all the rest of the little things that can add up to a lot. It's these details of design and manufacturing that make or break a notebook computer, both as a product line and especially as an individual, physical object owned by a particular person.”

15-inch Aluminum PowerBook G4

Due to be released "any day now" for months, the successor to Apple's landmark …

arstechnica.com

So yeah, when you’re talking about the quality and durability of products under Steve Jobs, best not talk about the titanium power books that were discontinued due to durability and reliability issues.
Also, it was Steve Jobs and Johnny Ive who started Apple‘s weird love affair with easily scratchable stainless steel with the iPod

 

[seajewel]

The fact that people continue to buy our "Max" or "6.7" devices is astonishing. They're way too big. We only make them because people think they need "the biggest" to be the "best" and because we can charge extra for them.

Take it from me. I'm Timm Kook. Get the Pro (6.1", NOT THE MAX) and you'll be happy.

I was surprised to see in the polls here and reddit that the max is equally or more popular than the regular Pro. The screen is beautiful though but yeah the weight is too much for day to day carrying for me, but obviously the general public loves these really large phones and you're not right to say "they're way too big" (I get that you're being somewhat satirical, but just to address that point anyways). I was a 7 Plus person myself when I upgraded to the X (and briefly sojourned to the Galaxy Note 4 for a bigger screen back when apple didn't produce them, but regretted it greatly as my Note was not a good phone due to the OS and other issues) but with the kind of weight these Pro Maxes have it's just not workable for me. Even the Pro is too much (it's aggravating an injured shoulder in terms of holding it in bed for reading). Hopefully I get used to it though, but my X which I upgraded from just feels so sleek and manageable by comparison.

 

[jcp007]

Looking forward to titanium instead of stainless steel and hardware and software optimization to make a smaller battery able to last longer than the current battery. No plastic. Maybe carbon fiber could be used to decrease the weight.

 

[usmaak]

The fact that people continue to buy our "Max" or "6.7" devices is astonishing. They're way too big. We only make them because people think they need "the biggest" to be the "best" and because we can charge extra for them.

Take it from me. I'm Timm Kook. Get the Pro (6.1", NOT THE MAX) and you'll be happy.

I always get the largest phones because my up close vision is crap, as in I can’t read anything. Wear glasses? Yup. Except my distance vision is perfect and I have never been able to adapt to bringing glasses everywhere I go to be able to put them on and take them off just to be able to see my phone. So, I always get the largest screens I can find. It’s embarrassing to ask some random to tell you what your phone says or to borrow a pair of readers off of the rack in a grocery store to see your shopping list. 😂

My current phone, in case, is 265 grams. The iPhone Pro Max weighs 240 grams. If I can find a nice thin case, I might e able to come in under the weight of my current phone by a few grams.

Everyone’s use case is different. I would prefer a smaller, lighter phone, but because I want to see my phone, it’s been a while since I have had one. If they made even bigger screens, I’d be lined up to get one.

 

[jmc111]

I returned my 14PM and got the Pro instead and it feels so much more comfortable.
The 11 PM was the Pro Max last iPhone that felt comfortable to me, I returned the 12PM and got a 12 after that.

i really hope they don’t push it even more to 250g on the PM and 220g for the regular pro or something l Ike that.
206g on the 14 pro is ok but it shouldn’t go any further than that.

but knowing Apple they will eventually come around and sell it as the best thing ever. But I fear it won’t be next year.

Want a better camera?

Want better battery life?

Want better performance?

Want more features?

Want more durability?

Nothing comes for free. All of these things take space and have weight. I expect device weights to continue increasing.

A switch to titanium would be welcome for weight, but would consumers be willing to pay considerably higher prices than they already pay? Current prices for Pro models are already high—nearly $2,000 for a phone with taxes and AppleCare alone. I think we are at or near the limit of what the market will bear in terms of costs.

There is arguably a point where a device will become too heavy for most, but we are not there yet. Until we get to that point, I’m not sure things are going to change.

One thing will change. The price will go UP. A decade ago, the price of these phones were reasonable. Now to pay $1K+ USD or $1,500+ CDN is totally ridiculous. No thanks.

 

[Xand&Roby]

A bit of a spin you’re putting on things there, the titanium PowerBooks only existed for two years, and had tons of durability issues because they… were not one single piece of titanium and were cheeply painted.
Here’s a quote from a review of the first aluminum power book:

“Hand-tool-like durability and convenience is a tall order for a high-tech device that has to cram the entire contents of a traditionally-stationary and rarely-touched desktop computer, including all input and output devices, into a stylish container the size of a small stack of paper. When things go well, the notebook seems almost magical, like an impossible object. But there is a vast potential for things to go wrong. This is the low-level, down in the trenches story you won't read about in press releases or on product information pages.

The TiBook is a perfect example, and a cautionary tale. The flip side of its sleek looks and exotic metallurgy is that (surprise!) it's apparently not easy to get paint to stick to titanium. The results were ugly.
There were also hinge problems, heat problems, keyboard issues, and all the rest of the little things that can add up to a lot. It's these details of design and manufacturing that make or break a notebook computer, both as a product line and especially as an individual, physical object owned by a particular person.”

15-inch Aluminum PowerBook G4

Due to be released "any day now" for months, the successor to Apple's landmark …

arstechnica.com

So yeah, when you’re talking about the quality and durability of products under Steve Jobs, best not talk about the titanium power books that were discontinued due to durability and reliability issues.
Also, it was Steve Jobs and Johnny Ive who started Apple‘s weird love affair with easily scratchable stainless steel with the iPod

Unlike someone I don't need the reviews, because in those days I was already an Apple customer for years.

I know that the Titanium PowerBooks were full of problems too, as well as being objectively ugly (the current MacBook Pro taking over aesthetic parts from the Titanium..), in fact I didn't talk about quality, I talked about production costs.

Apple by Jobs also sought in the choice of materials to be something different, in the face of high production costs and prices.
Cook's Apple, with an economic situation exactly opposite to that of Jobs, does not try to distinguish itself in the materials, proposing the usual weak aluminum, heavy steel, and now it also intends to eliminate the ceramics (it costs too much, and then Ive wanted it).
I know very well that Apple products between the end of the last century and the beginning of the new one had quality problems, but the company tried to correct them by changing the way they developed the products based on the materials they could afford (again, a choice of Ive and the historical design team), in fact, the customer satisfaction index in those years has reached an incredible 99%, while that index has been falling for years now.
Today’s company could sell all the products in LiquidMetal (Ive, again..) for the money streams it has, but it continues to use aluminum, without even looking for stronger solutions, steel, without even looking for lighter solutions, and soon it will also erase titanium (or keep it just to pretend that they are worth something, on the other hand it sells Hermes..).
Wondering why there is no new product, that is not an evolution of what others did previously, with new solutions in terms of materials and processing methods is too complicated, for those who spend 2300€ on a steel Apple Watch with Hermes strap?
By comparison, the first Gold Editions from $17,000 were cheaper, at least they were really exclusive.

 

[Xand&Roby]

Carbon fiber partly screens the operators' signal, gps and bluetooth, this means having hw that works worse, it warms up more, it's a larger battery. Carbon fiber creates more problems than it solves.