9to5Mac last week revealed the first CAD renders for the iPhone 15 Pro, which corroborated many rumors about Apple’s next-generation smartphone. Following our report, a photo showing the so-called iPhone 15 Pro with a titanium frame has surfaced on the web. Now we want to know if you prefer the next iPhone with a stainless steel or titanium frame.
Titanium versus stainless steel
Since the iPhone X, Apple has adopted a new design for the more expensive iPhone models that features glass on the front and back with a stainless steel frame. This frame is extremely shiny and sturdy, just like the stainless steel used for the Apple Watch case and also for the backs of older iPods. However, stainless steel has some disadvantages.
While the material is undeniably stylish, it’s also a fingerprint magnet. You only need to hold your iPhone for a few seconds to ruin the glossy finish. It certainly looks stunning in marketing images and in person when the phone is clean, but it quickly turns into a nightmare. Not to mention that stainless steel can scratch much more easily than other materials.
For the non-Pro models of the iPhone, Apple uses an aluminum frame instead of stainless steel, just like in the Apple Watch. Matte aluminum is more resistant to minor abrasions, but is not as hard and premium as stainless steel. So what other hardware options would Apple have for its next iPhone?
Well, the answer is titanium. In the past, Apple has built titanium laptops with the PowerBook G4. More recently, the company reintroduced titanium into its products with Apple Watch Edition and then Apple Watch Ultra. Titanium is as strong as stainless steel, but lighter, and its polished finish gives it a more premium look than aluminum.
This would allow Apple to keep the Pro (or Ultra) models of the iPhone with higher-end materials while solving the problem of fingerprints on the frame of the device. At the same time, an iPhone with a titanium frame would match the Apple Watch Ultra made of the same material.
We still don’t know for sure if just the frame will be titanium or the entire back of the iPhone.
Learn more about the iPhone 15 Pro
Based on renderings shown by 9to5Mac And also the leaked image, the iPhone 15 Pro will have a slightly curved titanium frame on the front and back. The bezels around the screen will be thinner, although Dynamic Island is the same size as on the iPhone 14 Pro. Other details include a thicker camera bump and USB-C for the first time on an iPhone.
But what about you? Do you prefer an iPhone 15 Pro with a stainless steel or titanium frame? Let us know in the poll and also in the comments section below.
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