The iPhone 14 lineup could hardly be accused of not looking and feeling premium, but for the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple could make its phones even more premium.
That's according to leaker ShrimpApplePro (Opens in a new tab) (via Phone Arena (Opens in a new tab)), who tweeted that the iPhone 15 will have titanium sides. It's a premium material that's more expensive than the aluminum that the iPhone 14 uses, or even the stainless steel that the iPhone 14 Pro uses.
But that's not all, the source also claims that the rear edge of the sides will be rounded, so the frame will curve towards the back of the phone, unlike current models which are more right-angled.
The back, meanwhile, will apparently remain glass, with ShrimpApplePro saying in a follow-up tweet (opens in a new tab) that "this design will create a really nice edge transition from the back to the camera bump." .
This is the new iPhone 15 According to the first information I have, the iPhone 15 will have a new edge design. The corner of the rear edge (as shown in the images) will be rounded and no longer square. The material will also be titanium. It is still too early to take it as it is. pic.twitter.com/hbdCKUhVP920November 2022, XNUMX
Read more
That being said, you should definitely take this leak with a grain of salt as it's very early days for iPhone 15 leaks, as the source himself points out; even if, as a result, they don't seem completely sure of their own information.
We wouldn't expect the entire iPhone 15 lineup to use titanium either, even if it turns out to be true. The source simply says "the iPhone 15," which implies that this material could be used by all models, but it's luxurious enough to think that's highly unlikely.
It will most likely only be used by the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Ultra, as this phone might be called). In fact, it is quite possible that only the latter uses titanium, especially since another sponsor has already said so precisely.
Analysis: what's so good about titanium?
Why switch to titanium? Well, it's much stronger and much lighter than stainless steel. So, in theory, Apple could increase the durability and reduce the weight of any iPhone model with which it adorns a titanium frame, a move we'd wholeheartedly approve of.
However, these benefits literally come at a cost, as titanium is also much more expensive than stainless steel, costing around €35 to €50 per kilogram, according to Aesteiron Steels (opens in a new tab). while stainless steel only costs €1 to €1.50.
As such, titanium tends to get relegated to luxury items or things that really need it, like airplane parts. So if any iPhone 15 models use titanium, this material change should definitely be seen as an upgrade, which risks making the next generation even more expensive than the current crop of top iPhones.