Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max could have the thinnest bezels ever seen on a smartphone, if a new rumor turns out to be true.
This claim was made by Ice Universe (opens in a new tab), a well-known leaker on Twitter, who estimates that the bezel width of the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be 1,55mm.
iPhone 15 Pro Max will break the 1,81mm bezel black edge record held by Xiaomi 13, and we measure its cover plate black bezel width to be only 1,55mm (S22 and S23 ≈1,95, 14mm, iPhone 2,17 Pro 9mm). twitter.com/17TBrVCGSCoMarch 2023, XNUMX
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As Ice Universe points out, that compares to the current record holder for thinnest display bezels, which is the Xiaomi 13 at 1,81mm, a fact that helps make this phone look very stylish.
MacRumors (opens in a new tab), which spotted the tweet, clarifies that the Xiaomi 13 actually has 1,61mm bezels on three sides (it's 1,81mm on the bottom edge only), but in any case , Apple is always ready to improve one or the other measure (in theory).
If the 1,55mm bezel width materializes, knowing that the iPhone 14 Pro measures 2,17mm, it will mean that Apple will have lightened its smartphone by almost 30%, which is not little.
It certainly wouldn't hurt the iPhone 15 Pro Max's quest to look even more premium, and it'll certainly earn you some nice bragging rights to stick to in your marketing materials.
The source is relatively reliable here, and of course we've already heard a rumor that both iPhone 15 Pro models could have slimmer bezels (with curved edges), giving weight to this speculation.
Review: A very smart phone, but at what price?
Assuming that's Apple's intent, bezels that are almost a third thinner - and indeed the thinnest in the world - will obviously be a PR selling point, as mentioned. But do we really need it?
It is something quite subjective. Some may wonder if incredibly clean glasses couldn't help on the fragility front. Others may think that the iPhone already has pretty slim bezels and that it's an unnecessary "upgrade." However, in fairness to Apple, reducing the bezels to almost a vanishing point will likely increase the aesthetic appeal in terms of premium expectations. And that's where we're a bit concerned that it might be related to the corresponding premium price.
Recently, the grapevine rumor indicated that Apple intended to increase the prices of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (which, in the United States at least, would be the first price increase for high-end phones from Apple from the iPhone). X debuted in 2017).
And this news of a record-breaking display, at the bezel level, is another indication that the nomenclature of iPhone 15 Pro models will increase, and that the retail price could follow suit.
Other rumors pointing to the high-end nature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max display include speculation that it could use a next-gen Samsung panel that could be super-bright and very high-quality. And what's more, we've heard of a much faster A17 Bionic SoC, more RAM (8GB, up from 6GB) for the iPhone 15 Pro versions, plus a periscope camera (for better optical zoom). ). Oh, and there's the small issue of that titanium frame also weighing in on manufacturing costs...
So will the price of the iPhone 15 Pro models increase? Yes, we can believe that, especially considering the specter of inflation and the fact that there hasn't been a high-end price movement for Apple smartphones in six years (in the US, anyway).
In fact, the more we hear of Apple pushing for this new feature, or improving this or that element of the chassis, display or camera, the more it seems that a price hike is starting to look not just likely, but practically inevitable. at least for the Pro versions of the next-generation iPhone. Vanilla flavors may be another story, but either way, we'll almost certainly have to wait until September to find out.
